Raiders Revamped Unit May be One of NFL's Most Underrated

While it remains to be seen what the Raiders' offense will look like under Raiders' Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly, the unit has undoubtedly improved on paper. The addition of Geno Smith as the team's signal caller should also help improve the pass-catching unit this upcoming season.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus ranked every team's group of wide receivers. He ranked the Raiders 25th in the league.

"Even if the outlook is just “Brock Bowers,” that is good enough to be ahead of a handful of other receiving corps. Bowers was sensational as a rookie, leading all tight ends with 1,194 receiving yards while recording the third-highest PFF receiving grade at the position (88.4)," Sikkema said.

"But to say the Raiders’ passing attack is just Bowers downplays the impact of Jakobi Meyers, who earned a 70.0-plus PFF receiving grade for the fifth straight season in 2024. Rookies Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton should also add to the group."

Following Organized Team Activities Kelly noted that the Raiders' rookie receivers are learning as quickly as they can in limited practice time before training camp arrives later this summer.

"They're learning, and I think Dont'e is unique in terms of he's just a hair under 6-5 and he ran 4.3. There's not a lot of humans on this planet that do that. And I think if you had a draw up an outside receiver, you would pick that type of body type, someone that's got length, someone that's got a huge catch radius, but also has speed," Kelly said.

"Sometimes you can get a big guy like that, but he can't really run, so they can stay with him. So, you add that speed element to him, his ability to sink his hips, his ability to get in and out of cuts. But for all of those guys, they're all learning a new system."

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and talk to us in 2025 about this unit.

While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss all Raiders content in 2025.