Tashan Reed has only been on the Las Vegas Raiders beat for a few weeks, but with the 2020 Draft being such a seminal moment in the franchise, he has jumped right into draft prep and networking. After covering Florida State for the past few seasons, Reed has some exposure to the college game — not to mention resources in guys like Vic Tafur and Dane Brugler at The Athletic.
With all that in mind, we picked his brain with some questions ahead of this weekend’s draft…
1) Everyone is penciling the Raiders in for a receiver at No. 12 — and rightfully so. Who are the guys that you think would cause them to pass on a receiver until 19? Who would have to be left around?
Reed: In a dream scenario, either former Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown or former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons would fall to No. 12. Neither one of those scenarios are realistic, however, so I’ll say former Florida cornerback CJ Henderson could earn consideration. He’s the second-best corner in the draft behind Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah and is the prototypical press-man cornerback. I still don’t think the Raiders would pass on taking one of the top three receivers — Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III — for him, but it’d be possible.
2) In your sense, does scheme fit factor into the conversation about the three top receivers at all within the Raider building? Or are they just going to pick the best guy and trust Gruden to make it work?
Reed: I think it all comes down to preference. None of the three receivers you’re referring to should have any issue fitting into the Raiders’ scheme. Lamb is your traditional “X” receiver who’ll line up on the line of scrimmage and be able to fight through press-man coverage; Jeudy is more of a “Z” receiver who can transition between the outside and slot and Ruggs III projects best as a slot receiver until he’s able to get stronger. The Raiders have a need for either of those molds and Gruden wouldn’t have an issue using any of them.
3) If the Raiders took a receiver in the first round, when would you predict they draft a second receiver at?
Reed: With their third pick in the draft — whether that comes at No. 80 or a pick that they acquire via a trade. This is a deep receiver class and there should be plenty of options remaining well into the third round. It’s not unfathomable that the Raiders land another instant impact rookie at that point in the draft.
4) As you dove into the draft, is there a Day 3 guy you’ve heard good things about — either from Raiders’ sources or just from your own research?
Reed: Former Memphis running back Antonio Gibson is an interesting prospect. He started his college career as a receiver at East Central Community College and then took on the versatile “four-back” role under former Memphis coach Mike Norvell. He carried the ball, took snaps in the wildcat formation, lined up in the slot and returned kickoffs. He was highly productive as he averaged 11.2 yards per carry and 19.3 yards per catch while scoring 12 touchdowns in 2019. He’s well built at 6-feet, 228 pounds, has explosive athleticism and good speed. He has underdeveloped running back skills and took limited carries in college, however, so he’s likely a Day 3 pick. The Raiders need a backup running back to help supplement Josh Jacobs, so he could be an option on the table.
5) Non-draft-specific question: you’re new to the Raiders beat. I’m curious what your outside opinion was on the Raiders as a whole up until getting the new job — roster talent, Mayock/Gruden, etc.?
Reed: I can’t say that I had a strong one. The Raiders had a stronger presence in my childhood back during Gruden’s first go around. I probably even used the Rich Gannon-led Raiders a few times on Madden. I’d loosely followed the Raiders in Gruden’s second stint before taking the job and viewed them as a competitive group that wasn’t quite a playoff team. They had a strong draft in 2019, which is a good sign for Mayock, but I largely saw the effort to build this franchise back up as a work in progress.
