The Oakland Raiders need a top wide receiver. Last season, their leading wide receiver was Rod Streater and he only managed 888 yards. Behind him, Denarius Moore only managed 695 yards. That is simply not going to be enough to help out veteran quarterback Matt Schaub. After missing out on all of the marquee free agents, the Raiders are targeting the draft for help, but could make a trade before that.
The Raiders tried to sign Julian Edelman. They looked at Emmanuel Sanders. They missed out on Eric Decker. They gathered information on DeSean Jackson, but failed to be aggressive enough to land him. The team has considered trades for both Andre Johnson and Mike Wallace, but general manager Reggie McKenzie is unwilling to give up draft picks in order to get them. So what do the Raiders do in order to boost their wide receiving corps? They attempt to get the best wide receiver available.
The Raiders draft at No. 5. That might be too late for a player like Sammy Watkins depending on what the teams before them do. With the Houston Texans targeting a quarterback and both St. Louis and Jacksonville looking at Jadeveon Clowney, Oakland could get lucky and have the wide receiver fall right into their lap. If the Rams take the defensive end, the Jaguars might make a move for a quarterback, giving the Raiders the top wide receiver they desire.
McKenzie has looked at several options for the No. 5 pick, but the Contra Costa Times is reporting the general manager wants an offensive producer. Schaub certainly wants the same thing. Essentially working off a one-year deal, the quarterback has been vocal about the team's need for another top threat to catch passes. Watkins is considered the best wide receiver available and would help out big time.
Adding a wide receiver could come with the subtraction of another. NFLDraftBites is reporting the Raiders are shopping second-leading receiver Moore in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. Moore is entering the final year of his contract and at 25, he could be a real asset for teams in need of a receiver. The Raiders are trying to get the most draft picks possible and replacing Moore with Watkins would be a huge upgrade. Moore's stats are not getting him a lot of attention, but if the Raiders are aggressive, they could pull this deal off.
