Raiders' AFC West Matchups Will Feature Battle Between Talented Rookies

Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network noted the Raiders' divisional games against the Denver Broncos have one of the best matchups among rookies.

"Jack Bech, the second pick by the Raiders, coming in at wide receiver. I would imagine he will be catching footballs from Geno Smith pretty quickly. When they face Denver twice next year, at least twice, they are going to see Jahdae Barron out there," Baldinger said.

"Barron, I think, adds to an embarrassment of riches for what the Broncos and Vance Joseph have in the secondary for the Broncos. I imagine they will be seeing each other in that matchup that we get to see twice a year. The Raiders are looking to put together a new passing game together with a lot of new pieces that they added on offense. I think Bech against Barron could be a pretty good matchup to watch.

Following the NFL Draft, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted a few of Bech's strengths, which will help him at the next level. Bech should develop into a solid contributor for the Raiders over the next few years. His skill set matches what the Raiders' offense needs right now.

“Well, he's really versatile. He can do everything. He's played outside and played inside. He's been a possession guy at times. He's really a catch-and-run guy. He's really physical, he's tough as you get as a receiver. He'll block like crazy. He’s already brought it up on the phone in the first couple of thoughts in a conversation with him," Carroll said.

"So, we'll find his spot for him, but we see him as versatile, and we're counting on him to do a number of things. He's already been asked to. So, we've seen it on film, and he's got really good understanding of the game. He's about as fired up as a receiver can get, as far as being physical and crazy and wild and wants to be on special teams and the whole thing. So, we'll find it out where the best fit is for him, but he's very, very much ready to do whatever we want.”

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