Oakland Raiders get Derek Carr another weapon in Clive Walford

By Ryan Ratty | May 1, 2015

The Oakland Raiders needed to improve their offense this offseason and they did that in this draft by bringing in Amari Cooper and, now, Clive Walford.

It’s been the same narrative all off-season for the Oakland Raiders. The franchise quarterback is in place with Derek Carr, however, the entire offense around him was lackluster to say the least in 2014. Knowing that, the Raiders needed to have an offensive-heavy draft in the 2015 NFL Draft and after just three rounds, it’s clear that that was their plan.

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In the third round, the Raiders drafted tight end Clive Walford, who has been rated by most draft experts to be the second-best tight end in this year’s draft class. Last season, one of the lone bright spots on this offense, besides Carr obviously, was Mychal Rivera. Carr and Rivera had a growing relationship last year and I fully expect that to continue in 2015. However, adding an athlete, versatile pass-catcher like Walford makes a ton of sense.

At Miami, Walford produced in the passing game and in the running game. He was a crucial blocker in front of Duke Johnson in Miami’s zone-blocking scheme. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, with 34-inch arms, Walford has a bigger body for a tight end. He has decent speed and as I said earlier, he’s extremely versatile. Walford has the ability to play in-line tight end in Oakland’ traditional offensive set. He also has the ability to line up at slot and he could even be an H-back in the backfield.

What the Raiders are getting out of Walford is a player that can provide some matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. With long arms and huge hands, on top of his huge body, Walford has the ability to go up for the football and come down with it. With two athletic pass-catchers in Rivera and Walford, the Raiders have two tight ends that will be able to make plays and score points for the Raiders in the endzone.

The NFL Draft is about three rounds in and the Raiders now have two new additions for their offense. Last season, the Raiders were criticized for not having enough talent around Carr. They’re not there yet, but the Raiders are building their offense. With pass-catchers like Michael Crabtree and James Jones already in place, as well as the additions of Cooper and Walford, the Raiders are starting to build a solid offense.

If the Raiders can beef up their offensive line, they will give Carr more protection and time to go through his progressions and find the open man. Something the Raiders must look at this offseason is improving their running game. If the Raiders make defenses key in on their running offense, it will be easier for Carr, as he would have one-on-one coverage on the outside. Walford can play a role immediately in Oakland’s offense as a run-blocking tight end.

Drafting a tight end may cause some questions because the Raiders already have their tight end in place, but the Raiders needed to add offensive talent in this year’s draft, and Walford really is the perfect fit because he can stretch the field in the passing game and open up holes in the running game as well.

Next: Oakland Raiders come out as losers after two picks

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