Making the Case for Rod Streater as the Oakland Raiders’ No. 1 Wide Receiver

The Oakland Raiders made a multitude of moves during the 2014 offseason, but despite dozens of upgrades, general manager Reggie McKenzie was unable to find a No. 1 wide receiver. Instead of eschewing improvement elsewhere on the roster to find one, the Raiders will go into training camp with receiver as one of their biggest question marks.



For what the Raiders lack in a No. 1 receiver they may make up for with a collection of No. 2 receivers. James Jones, Andre Holmes, Denarius Moore and Rod Streater would all be lumped into this category, but only one has a chance to become a No. 1 in 2014.

Rod Streater was an undrafted free agent in 2012, but his draft status doesn’t tell the whole story. He is 6’3” and 210 pounds, and has 4.4-second speed and good hands. Despite a ghastly quarterback situation in Oakland, Streater improved and now has two years of solid NFL production under his belt.

It’s quite possible Streater is the exception to just about everything we know about finding successful wide receivers in the NFL, but he has athleticism and production that can’t be ignored. To become a true No. 1, Streater will have to continue to thumb his nose at conventional wisdom, even though some of it may now be on his side.

 

A Great Start

History says that rookie wide receivers typically struggle—even guys who eventually become elite receivers need time to adjust.

Anyone who plays fantasy football knows that wide receivers tend to break out at some point in their second or third professional season. That’s precisely why Moore—headed into his fourth season—is no longer considered a future No. 1 candidate despite three years of solid production (130 catches, 2,054 yards and 17 touchdowns in 41 games).

Streater enters his third campaign with 99 receptions for 1,472 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 14.9 y...