The Oakland Raiders made their intentions quite clear when they selected two pass-catchers in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft: help develop second-year quarterback Derek Carr. Amari Cooper was the big splash with the fourth overall pick. He immediately comes in as Oakland's most talented wide receiver. But third-round tight end Clive Walford will also get the opportunity to have a big impact.
"The Raiders are looking for dynamic, young offensive weapons," ESPN Raiders reporter Bill Williamson wrote. "Oakland probably needed a guard more than a tight end when it picked at No. 68, but the idea of getting talent like the Miami tight end was too good to pass up. He is the all-time reception leader for Miami, a noted tight end factory that has produced the likes of Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow Jr., Jimmy Graham and Greg Olsen."
Carr managed to throw for more than 3,000 yards with 21 touchdowns against 12 interceptions despite the lack of offensive talent around him. However, his 5.46 average yards per pass was one of the worst marks for a starting QB in recent memory. The Raiders are hoping Walford can be a consistent receiving threat up the seam and produce chunk yardage for this offense.
But first, Walford will have to unseat Mychal Rivera as the starter. Walford has hauled in 96 passes and eight touchdowns in two seasons. But his average yards per reception is just 9.8, adding to Carr's downfield woes. Walford has the higher upside of the two but Rivera is clearly more polished. It will be interesting to see how quickly the rookie can get on the field.
"Walford was drafted to play early and become a staple receiving option along with No. 1 pick, receiver Amari Cooper, for quarterback Derek Carr," Williamson wrote. "If Walford has a strong training camp and preseason, I wouldn't be shocked if he starts over Rivera (who will stall have a role in the offense) in Week 1."
