A look at the Raiders’ depth receivers

By Anthony Carroll  |   Friday, March 14, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Oakland Raiders
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In the past two weeks, the Oakland Raiders have brought $57 million to the bargaining table to shore up a thinning wide receiving corps.

About 96 percent of that money went to ex-Denver Broncos pass catcher Javon Walker on March 6, who will be paid $55 million over the next six years, $16 million of which is guaranteed within the first two years of the deal.

The remaining $2 million was spent Wednesday on former Panthers’ wideout Drew Carter, who will look to build off of the career year he enjoyed in 2007 (517 yards and four TDs).

With the 28-year-old Ronald Curry already in the fold, then, it’s not likely that Oakland spends any more money building up its wide receiving corps via free agency.

Let’s take a look at the remaining under-contract wide receivers the Raiders have left and can look to next season.

Drisan James: The 23-year-old has never caught a pass in the NFL, but made his name with Boise State by helping the Broncos rally to beat Oklahoma, 43-42, in overtime in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. James caught a 15-yard pass on fourth-and-18 with seven seconds left in regulation and then pitched the ball to teammate Jerard Rabb, who raced 50 yards down the sideline to send the game into overtime. Boise State went on to stun the Sooners in one of the most memorable finishes in NCAA football history.

Since then, however, James has spent time with the Bears and Raiders, but has never seen the field. The 5-foot-11, 186-pounder certainly possesses enough speed (4.52 in the 40) and athleticism to get the job done, but needs to work on improving his route running and hands before being considered for serious playing time.

Johnnie Lee Higgins: Higgins’ rookie season with the Raiders was certainly something to forget. The third-round pick caught just six passes all season for 47 yards, and managed to fumble the ball four times, losing two.

There’s no doubt, however, that the 24-year-old Higgins possesses the ability to make the big play. The 185-pounder -- who ran a 4.48 40-yard dash in ‘07 -- hauled in 82 receptions for 1,320 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 2006, earning first team All-C-USA honors. Of all the remaining receivers under contract the Raiders have, you’d expect Higgins to be the one that coaches most rely on next season.

Todd Watkins: The 24-year-old Watkins, who spent last season with the Arizona Cardinals, has never caught a pass in the NFL, but hauled in 101 passes for 1,720 yards and 15 touchdowns in his last two years with BYU.

Like many of the Raiders’ young wideouts, Watkins is an untested, but intriguing prospect. At 6-3, 191 pounds, he possesses good size, but also has good speed (4.45 40-yard dash) and strength. Still, if the unproven WR can somehow make his way onto the roster, don’t expect much in terms of catches and yardage.

Will Buchanon: The 6-3 Buchanon was no college all-star by any means, catching all of four passes in his four years with USC. The 24-year-old, however, broke into the scene two preseasons ago under the Art Shell regime. Since then, however, he’s been released by the Raiders, picked up by the Giants, cut, grabbed by the Chiefs, and then cut again. Now he’s landed back on his feet with Oakland, where it all started.

Buchanon has shown that he can make acrobatic catches and, because of that ability, emerged as a fan favorite early in 2006. He’s also very versatile (used as both a defensive back and wide receiver in college) and has deceiving speed. Buchanon ran the 40 in 4.38 seconds during USC’s Pro Day festivities in ‘06 -- just five-tenths of a second off teammate Reggie Bush’s recorded time, who was drafted second overall that year. Oh, and Buchanon has actually caught a ball in the NFL.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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