Oakland Raiders Training Camp: Week 1 Stock Report
There are four Oakland Raiders training camp sessions in the books. Certain players are separating themselves from the pack in both negative and positive fashion.
The Raiders have practiced in pads only twice after what head coach Jack Del Rio called “acclimation practices.” Nonetheless, some players have shown up and others haven’t, in a literal sense.
Frankly, there are some surprises and disappointments. The collective energy at camp is radiant, but evaluations continue as the team prepares for the start of the preseason on August 14 at 7 p.m PT against the St. Louis Rams.
We’ll get into stockbroker mode and break down which players’ stocks you should buy and sell after the first week of training camp.
Buy: Cornerback Keith McGill
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Oakland Raiders' defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. drew comparisons between his current secondary and the Seattle Seahawks “Legion of Boom,” connecting cornerbacks Keith McGill and Richard Sherman as parallel talents, per SilverandBlackPride.com writer Levi Damien:
"It's an interesting comparison considering due to McGill's size and experience at safety and corner, he had people invoking the name Richard Sherman when discussing his ceiling early on. To have Norton make that direct comparison now is pretty big.
The faith the coaches are putting in him and the cornerback group's potential is a confidence builder for McGill.
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Aside from physical capabilities, cornerbacks need confidence whether it comes from within or from the coaching staff. They need support while standing out on an island in the secondary, and McGill earned that support from Norton during practice.
Will he continue to get burned here and there? Of course. All cornerbacks get their heads turned around now and then, but the overwhelming trend becomes important. Thus far, it seems as though McGill continues to trend upward after sharing first-teams reps during mandatory minicamp.
The cornerback rotation isn’t set in stone, but McGill’s size and Norton’s idea of recreating the Seahawks secondary in Oakland works in McGill’s favor.
Sell: Cornerback D.J. Hayden
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As you buy stock in McGill, you should sell cornerback D.J. Hayden's stock in terms of starting as the No. 2 cornerback. This isn’t a result of McGill killing the competition in practice, but Hayden continues to slip up playing on the outside, per Damien, which may suggest he’s better suited to play the slot.
"In the three-way battle for the top two cornerback spots between D.J. Hayden, T.J. Carrie, and Keith McGill, the one without who has fallen behind is D.J. Hayden. After not standing out all camp and a disappointing day 3, he worked almost exclusively with the second team defense in practice today with Carrie and McGill getting the first team reps. Both Carrie and McGill had passes defended on Michael Crabtree on passes very similar to ones Hayden gave up to him yesterday.
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Apparently, it was Hayden elevating wide receiver Michael Crabtree to training camp super stardom.
Damien goes on to further explain in detail how McGill was able to effectively defend a fade pass from quarterback Derek Carr to Crabtree using his size to knock the pass down. Hayden had a hard time covering Crabtree on the outside but made plays with the second team.
The window for Hayden isn’t shut, but the wide opening just became a sizable crack after four practices.
Norton seems content in finding his Sherman, a tall lanky defender with leaping ability, and that’s not Hayden. That doesn’t render him ineffective, but possibly better suited in nickel packages where he can utilize his footwork and speed to attack the football.
Buy: Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree
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Once tagged a diva and then embarrassed on national television by Sherman after an NFC Championship Game, Crabtree draws rave reviews from spectators during training camp.
Much of the wide receiver hype revolved around promising rookie Amari Cooper but shifted toward Crabtree after four scintillating practices. Carr and Crabtree hooked up early and often with the quarterback giving his breakdown on his connection with the veteran receiver, per Damien:
"Whatever the route is, for some reason, it's just easy to throw to him and that's a credit to his route-running abilities," Carr said of Crabtree. "That's a credit to the extra work that he puts in in the offseason. I mean, that guy works his tail off now. You can tell when he gets out here, because he makes it look so easy. He's making one-handed catches on go routes one foot off the ground like, ‘Oh, yeah, I do that every day,' which he does.
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Cooper was lauded for his route-running abilities coming into the draft. Now Carr has developed an appreciation for Crabtree’s route-running skills, and that’s all good for the Raiders offense. A good route-runner develops trust from the quarterback and finds ways to get open in the tightest spots.
Oakland’s top two receivers have a wide receiver trait that should certainly help Carr’s development as a pocket passer. More importantly, Carr can rely on a refined veteran as a target alongside a young dynamic receiver in Cooper.
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Sell: Running Back Trent Richardson
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Running back Trent Richardson has yet to literally show up on the practice field. Apparently, Del Rio wants him to drop a few more pounds before taking the field.
Del Rio goes on to explain the essence of recapturing the Alabama Richardson who was dominant in the college ranks. Although he still needs to address his vision and decision-making on the field, body conditioning initiates the process to revitalizing his career.
Normally, Richardson's stock wouldn’t plummet as much due to absence, but there’s a hungry undrafted rookie running back who’s making the most of his opportunities as the No. 2 running back on the practice field, per Raidersbeat.com writer Steve Corkran.
Buy: Running Back Michael Dyer
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That undrafted rookie running back gaining ground on Richardson happens to be Michael Dyer.
Del Rio said (h/t ESPN.com) Dyer exhibits speed, reliability on special teams and overall development as a running back in the first handful of practices.
Dyer makes a case that he should carry the football as a second option behind running back Latavius Murray. He’s also inadvertently making the case at Richardson’s expense.
Murray and Roy Helu Jr. are locked into roster positions. San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur said via Twitter that Marcel Reece’s weight loss indicates he may take some carries out of the backfield as well, which makes the need for four running backs excessive.
Dyer will land on the practice squad, or Richardson will be cut. But who’s to say a team won’t attempt to sign Dyer off the Raiders practice squad after a strong training camp? Oakland must be careful in evaluating its talent or risk losing production.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport gathered a source close to the situation stating Richardson has a 50-50 chance of making the team. It’s a toss up, and with Dyer’s performance, you’ve got to sell Richardson’s stock.
Which players are you buying or selling through the first few practices? Share your comments below. Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for Raiders training camp news.
All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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