Preseason Profile: Derrick Carrier, WR

 Posted by at 1:04 PM  2 Responses »
Jun 302012
 

Derrick Carrier #89

College: Beloit
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 238 lbs
Arm Length: N/A
Hand Size: N/A

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.50
3 Cone Drill: 6.65
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.08
Bench Press: 15 reps
Vertical Jump: 38″
Broad Jump: 122″

 

Derrick Carrier is truly playing the role of underdog this season. Coming into the league from Division III Beloit college he faces one of the biggest jumps in competition that one could imagine. As to be expected from anyone making the jump from Division III to the NFL, he dominated his opposition in college setting school records in catches, yards, and touchdowns just to name a few.

Standing at 6’3″ 238 lbs many expected Carrier to begin his career at tight end. The Raiders, who brought him in for a private workout prior the draft, had other ideas. Carrier has been working exclusively as a wide receiver through mini-camp and OTA’s making his battle for a roster spot that much tougher.

Carrier is not the type of guy who relies on talent alone to get ahead of the game though. He also prides himself on putting in the extra work off the field to make himself better. After a relentless training program throughout his time at Beloit, he was able to add nearly 70 pounds of muscle to his frame going from 170 to 238 lbs.

Derrick still faces long odds to make the final roster though, and will need to not only show a lot of potential on the offensive side of the ball but also prove his worth on special teams as well. A position switch to tight end at some point is not out of the question either, but a late change in training camp likely won’t give Carrier enough time to make an impression there before final cuts. Even if he doesn’t make the team this season, he is a great candidate for the practice squad giving him the needed time to develop his potential.

Preseason Profile: Louis Murphy, WR

 Posted by at 12:49 PM  No Responses »
Jun 302012
 

Louis Murphy #18

College: Florida
Height: 6’2⅜”
Weight: 203 lbs
Arm Length: N/A
Hand Size: N/A

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.32
3 Cone Drill: 6.95
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.45
Bench Press: 12 reps
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A

 

Louis Murphy finds himself on the roster bubble heading into this year. Early on in his career he looked like he might be the next big play maker at receiver for the Raiders, but after hauling in 75 catches and 6 TD’s in his first two years he has struggled to stay healthy and only had 15 total receptions last year.

Coming from a high-powered offense at Florida, Murphy was another one of those late round finds for the Raiders in 2009. He came into the league with a chip on his shoulder wanting to prove to the world that he was more than just another speed guy at wide receiver. He will need to recapture that determination if he plans to work his way back into the receiver rotation in Oakland. Starring him in the face are a hungry group of newcomers who believe their time is now and are looking to take his spot on the 53 man roster.

Don’t completely count Murphy out yet though. He does have the tools to be a successful NFL wide out, he just needs to get healthy and stay focused on living up to his potential on the field.

Louis has had some off the field mishaps as well. He was arrested on possession of marijuana while at Florida, and arrested in 2011 for possessing Viagra without a prescription. While both of these arrests seem irrelevant to some, it does highlight the need to stay focused on football. Look for Murphy to come on strong in training camp if he can get healthy, but securing a spot won’t be easy.

Preseason Profile: Rod Streater, WR

 Posted by at 12:33 PM  No Responses »
Jun 302012
 

Rod Streater #80

College: Temple
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 193 lbs
Arm Length: N/A
Hand Size: N/A

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.46
3 Cone Drill: 7.06
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.07
Bench Press: 18 reps
Vertical Jump: 37.5″
Broad Jump: 133″

 

It’s still early, but few new comers are drawing as much buzz as Rod Streater. After being singled out by Dennis Allen in his first mini camp for “looking sharp”, Rod has continued to impress. Vittorio Tafur, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, had this to say while watching a recent OTA session: “Still haven’t seen rookie WR Rod Streater drop a ball, or do anything but tuck ball in for a nap every pass thrown his way”.

Streater has flown under the radar for different reasons to this point in his career. He started out at a junior college before transferring to Temple for his Junior and Senior year. He has the size at 6’3″ 200 lbs to be an effective wide out at the NFL level and showed flashes of excellence in college but was inconsistent. He doesn’t possess great break away speed either.

He is quick with his moves though and does a nice job adjusting to the ball in the air. If he continues to impress throughout training camp, I don’t see any reason as to why he couldn’t make the final 53 man roster. It’s worth noting that he played some special teams at Temple as well which a lot of times plays a big part in the last few guys who “make the cut”.

Preseason Profile: Eddie McGee, WR

 Posted by at 12:24 PM  No Responses »
Jun 302012
 

Eddie McGee #16

College: Illinois
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 207 lbs
Arm Length: N/A
Hand Size: N/A

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.50
3 Cone Drill: 6.68
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.51
Bench Press: 10 reps
Vertical Jump: 31″
Broad Jump: 115″

 

Eddie McGee is a guy who has been forgotten by many with all the new comers this season. The former quarterback from Illinois turned wide receiver got his chance during training camp last year. McGee showed his potential throughout camp, but fell short of a spot on the final 53 mainly because he was still very raw.

He was also slowed by an ankle injury towards the end of camp last year as well which pretty much sealed his fate. His work was not without reward though as the coaches saw enough potential in him to sign him to the practice squad and keep him around all last season.

McGee has added some muscle mass and is ready to get back at it again this year. Once last year ended McGee sought out Carson Palmer for help improving his game as a wide receiver. “I talked to Carson before the end of the season saying I would like to work out with him just because that’s a great quarterback. The more I can learn from him the better I can be so I hit him up, he told me he was gonna be in LA so I flew straight out there.”

McGee spent a month in LA during the off-season working on his game with Carson and other teammates including Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and David Ausberry. While he has been sidelined so far to start mini camp and OTA’s with a minor hamstring strain he’s eager to get on the field and show the work he has put in since last season. After falling just short of the final 53 last year, he will be looking to make sure history does not repeat itself this time around.

Preseason Profile: Juron Criner, WR

 Posted by at 12:17 PM  No Responses »
Jun 302012
 

Juron Criner #84

College: Arizona
Height: 6’2½”
Weight: 224 lbs
Arm Length: 32.0″
Hand Size: 10.4″

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.68
3 Cone Drill: 7.15
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.30
Bench Press: 17 reps
Vertical Jump: 38″
Broad Jump: 117″

 

Juron Criner who was drafted in the 5th round by the Raiders this year has put an early stamp on this team as well. His draft projections were all over the place depending on who you asked because of one main factor, he doesn’t have great speed. Yes, you read that correctly, it’s truly a new era in Oakland.

While his speed obviously hurt his draft stock, many were surprised to see him fall all the way to the 5th round after getting some 2nd round grades based on his size, polished route running and soft hands. That was probably one of the main factors in the Raiders drafting him. He was very good value in the 5th round and has proven that early on in mini-camp and OTA’s.

Criner is in a very similar situation that Denarius Moore was in last year. He has the chance to come in without a lot of added pressure being a late round pick and work hard to earn the respect of players and coaches while showing what he can do on the field. That is exactly what he has done to this point, and it has not gone unnoticed by the coaches or the media.

Criner will be one of those guys pushing to earn his playing time in training camp. He has the ability to be a red zone target at 6’3″ and 220 lbs and has shown his ability to adjust when the ball is in the air and make great catches using his soft hands. His progression will be monitored closely, but he has the chance to make a very big contribution to the offense even in his first year if he continues to improve every day.

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