Corps players: Tight Ends

This is the second piece in a series that will look at each position – the additions, subtractions, and pre-training camp depth chart as I see it.

For the wide receiver corps, click here.

Today’s unit of focus is tight ends which, like the teams’ wide receivers, should be in line for a bump up in production in 2015.

Last season’s top tight end, Mychal Rivera, returns this year and will be working to defend his starting position against rookie third round pick Clive Walford. Rivera was a top receiver for the Raiders last year, pulling in 58 receptions for 534 yards and 4 TDs, an okay but not great 9.2 yard per catch average.

Rivera’s 58 receptions were the second highest on the team behind only James Jones’ 73 catches hauled in. If Rivera is still 2nd on the team in receptions in 2015, it will mean that the teams’ plans at wideout have failed which does not bode well for the teams’ chances.

Fortunately, the team has worked to upgrade the position in 2015 and Rivera may not even be the best tight end on the team, anymore. Last year’s tight ends included Rivera, David Ausberry (who ended the year on IR and is now a free agent), Nick Kasa (also injured and who was recently released), Brian Leonhardt, and Scott Simonson.

The Raiders made tight end a position a focus in the off-season by signing blocking-specialist Lee Smith early in Free Agency. They also courted former Bengals TE Jeremaine Gresham until a medical examination turned up a back injury that required surgery. Gresham has since had the necessary back surgery but remains unsigned to date.

In the draft, the Raiders took the best all-around tight end, Clive Walford, early in the third round. Walford is not a pass catcher of the same caliber as fellow draftee Maxx Williams, who was the first tight end off the board, taken by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round and 13 picks earlier than Walford.

Instead of mostly playing as a flex tight end – which is where Williams and Rivera are the best fits to use their size and speed running routes – Walford is a better fit as a traditional inline tight end. At that position, he will be instrumental as both a blocker and a safety valve for Raiders second year QB Derek Carr.

Having watched film of Walford, I came away impressed with his use of leverage as a blocker and his consistent, solid hands in the passing game.

Walford does a good job of using his size to wall of defenders off from the ball carrier, he can get to the second level for blocks on linebackers and he was able to work the circle as a pass defender against speed blockers on the outside.

Walford is not great as a blocker but he shows the skills to continue learning and he is good enough to plug in right away and be at least serviceable and likely pretty good.

While mostly serving as a safety valve at Miami, where he ran a lot of crossing routes underneath as a check down option, he has the speed and agility to be able to make big plays, too. For example, this play versus Florida State in which he juked his defender to get open down the middle and then outran the defense:

https://youtu.be/f2MXhwaplYg?t=1m56s

In the play, Walford is lined up in the slot and is covered by a DE, Chris Casher, which is a matchup Miami was happy to exploit. He starts to run up and out and makes the route look like a corner route and the defender turns his hips to defend. When the defender flips his hips, however, Walford make a nice cut inside to run a post pattern and is wide open for an easy throw by the quarterback in the center of the field.

The clip also shows that Walford can move in the open field as he outruns not only Casher but also the other members of the FSU secondary to take the ball for a 61 yard TD, his longest catch of the season. Walford catches the ball at approximately the 50 yard line and takes it the additional 50 yards almost untouched although he does benefit from a good block downfield.

With the combination of Walford, Rivera and Smith, the Raiders have their best tight end unit in years. Rivera is a good option at receiver but needs work as a blocker. Smith was one of the best blockers at tight end in the NFL last season per PFF but he’s not a big receiving threat.

While still and unknown, Walford has the chance to be a complete tight end who can excel as both a blocker and in the passing game, something the Raiders have not had on their team in quite some time.

Behind these three, the Raiders still have Brian Leonhardt and Scott Simonson as well as former Boilermaker Gabe Holmes, a rookie who joined the team after going undrafted.

Barring injury, it seems likely the team will only go with three players at tight end this year, so the other three players may be playing for practice squad contention.

Depending on how fast he learns the nuances of the position in the NFL, Walford may not be a Week 1 starter but even if not, he should be in line for a good amount of playing time in his first season. The team will likely mix and match their tight ends to create and exploit matchups they like.

Once Walford gets up to speed, the team can use him as a TE1 and can keep him on the field no matter if the play is a run or a pass. They can then bring in Rivera and Smith as needed for a tight end to run routes or block.