Las Vegas Raiders: Free agency grades for every signing thus far
WR. C. 28. Scouting Report. 1-yr/$1,047,500. Nelson Agholor. player. Pick Analysis
It’s expected that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to heavily pursue a wide receiver (or two) in the top 100 picks of the 2020 NFL Draft, as they should. This group right now, led by Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow, has some promise but is a far cry from what Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock want it to look like. So, in that regard, adding former Eagle Nelson Agholor on a one-year minimum contract make sense to get some bodies out there.
Agholor has not been unproductive in his still-young career. The wide receiver, who will be 27 years old by Week 1, had two seasons of at least 60 catches and 730 yards in 2017 and 2018 along with 12 combined touchdowns over that span. However, his issues with drops have made him more of a meme than a reliable wideout. Even still, perhaps heading to Sin City will spark his career, even if it’s hard to bank on that.
1-yr/$6 million. 28. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. CB. Eli Apple. B+
After shipping out Gareon Conley last season, the Las Vegas Raiders secondary was set to consist of Trayvon Mullen — who played quite well as his rookie season went on in 2019 — and an assortment of proverbial shrug emojis. The secondary was an area where the Raiders needed to focus this offseason but their primary free-agent addition at cornerback was former first-round pick Eli Apple on a quite modest one-year deal.
Apple was an outright bust with the Giants early in his NFL career but showed real promise with the Saints in 2018. He wasn’t as good in the 2019 season but still performed much better than he ever did in his time with Big Blue.
For a team like the Raiders who are so starved for help in the secondary, I’m a big fan of signing Apple on such a cheap deal. There is little long-term risk to bring in a player who, although not consistently, has shown he can be a competent NFL corner.