Jul 032012
 

I will be doing a series of Raiders camp position battles throughout the off-season starting with wide receiver. I will continue to update these battles throughout camp as roster events take place such as injuries, cuts, new signings, etc.

Here is a list of the wide receivers on the Raiders 90 man roster including links to their player profile and my written summary breaking down each one individually.


Denarius Moore #17

Darrius Heyward-Bey #85

Jacoby Ford #12

Juron Criner #84

Eddie McGee #16

Rod Streater #80

Louis Murphy #18

Derrick Carrier #89

Duke Calhoun #14

Brandon Carswell #13

Thomas Mayo #19

Travionte Session #87

 

I believe the Raiders will carry six wide receivers this season, with realistically 2 spots up for grabs. The amount of prospects the Raiders have brought in speaks to the fact that no one will be handed a job anymore. Performance in training camp will go a long ways in deciding the future of a lot of these young players with the Raiders. The competition at the position should bring out the best in everyone. There will more than likely be a wide receiver signed to the practice squad as well. The only wide receivers currently on the Raiders roster that are NOT eligible for the practice squad are Moore, Heyward-Bey, Ford, Murphy and Calhoun.

Here is my projected depth chart. Obviously there will be events that will change this outlook through out camp so I will continue to keep it up to date.

Projected Depth Chart:

“X” (Split End) Darrius Heyward-Bey

“Z” (Flanker) Denarius Moore

“Y” (Slot) Jacoby Ford

Depth 1) Juron Criner

Depth 2) Louis Murphy

Depth 3) Rod Streater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.