Oakland Raiders' Offensive Artillery: Denarius Moore

Denarius Moore exploded on the scene in camp this year.  The fifth-round draft pick out of Tennessee was lighting the field on fire, burning starting corners Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson.  It started as a surprise and quickly became the daily reality in Raiders camp.  

Moore impressed not only the coaching staff but his fellow players, rookies and veterans as well.  He seemed to have a knack for making big plays and caught virtually everything thrown his way.  At times, he was the best player on the practice field.  

The Raiders wanted to see what he could do in a game and they caught a glimpse of his explosiveness in Week 1 of the preseason when they faced the Arizona Cardinals.  Moore broke free over the middle and Jason Campbell hit him in stride as he ran away from AJ Jefferson, the second-year corner from Fresno State.  He avoided safety Rashad Johnson and looked to break for more yardage.

It was one of his three catches on the night and he ended with 37 yards. 

The flash of lightning from Moore came in the form of a punt return that was called back.  He showcased his soft hands, smooth acceleration and vision as he knifed through the cover team.  It looked like the Raiders may have found another steal in another draft.

It was just one game, though. How would the rookie respond in practice and the game in the following week?  Moore continued to impress in camp, gaining respect from veterans on the team and receiving more attention from the coaching staff. 

It was beginning to look like Moore was the wide receiver the Raiders and their fans had been hoping for. Hue Jackson had promised that the best players would be on the field come regular season, and Moore was stating his case with his performance.  

Pretty surprising that a kid who amassed 981 yards receiving, nine touchdowns and over 20 yards per catch in his senior year at the University of Tennessee landed in the Raiders lap in the fifth round. Even more surprising is how Moore put up those kind of numbers with Matt Simms and Tyler Bray throwing the football to him.  

Moore continued to flash his game-breaking ability in Week 2 of the preseason against the San Francisco 49ers.  Moore finished with only two catches for 28 yards, but it was in limited time and the catches came on back-to-back plays.  Campbell again hit an open Denarius Moore over the middle for 17 yards and came back the next play to hit Moore for another 11 yards.  

Promise was also shown by Darrius Heyward-Bey on the same drive as Campbell placed a perfect back-shoulder throw away from double coverage that Heyward-Bey pulled in at the 3-yard line.  

Moore is a wild card in the Raiders' deck of cards, and with all the weapons Oakland has at their disposal, I expect big things from the Raiders' offense this year.  If Hue Jackson is true to his vow of playing the best players, Denarius Moore should be starting when the Oakland Raiders open their season against the rival Denver Broncos.