One of the positions with the least turnover was wide receiver, where the Raiders returned four of the six players from last season. One of them is second-year man Rod Streater, who made the roster last season as an undrafted free agent out of Temple University.
Streater had just 49 receptions in two seasons at Temple and got his feet wet with 39 receptions for 584 yards as a rookie, but he’s poised to at least double those numbers if the first few days of training camp are any indication. Streater is emerging as the Raiders’ No. 1 receiver and Matt Flynn’s go-to guy in 2013.
During training camp practices this weekend, Streater was one of the only receivers catching everything in sight as the rest of the unit struggled with drops. This is good news for Streater, who dropped seven balls in 2012 and had a higher percentage of drops than any other receiver on the team, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
“This year, I was so focused on running routes and catching balls that I didn’t really have much time (for martial arts),” Streater said after practice Saturday.
It would appear that Streater’s shifted offseason focus has paid off in a big way as Oakland’s defensive backs also struggled to stick with him in coverage. Streater has learned to sell his routes and set up defenders, which have translated to better separation from the defensive backs.
Streater also ran crisp and precise routes and he has more than enough speed to force defensive backs to give him operating space. When Streater didn’t have operating ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
