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The Las Vegas Raiders drafted two wideouts in the 2025 NFL Draft, but because of consistent playing time under former head coach Pete Carroll, the Silver and Black might not know what they have in Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr.
Nonetheless, with a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, both of these young players will have a fresh start. The Raiders are projected to have a new QB in Fernando Mendoza, and he will need reliable weapons as a rookie.
Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers are two of the weapons Mendoza is likely to lean on, but can someone like Jack Bech emerge? Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke about whether Bech can become a No. 1 outside wideout for them.
“I trust Jack Bech, the football player, you know?” Spytek told reporters on Feb. 24. “I mean, where he aligns we’re going to move people all over the place. I think you guys saw how Klint used [Jaxon Smith‑Njigba]. They’re going to move him all over the place. So we’re not going to be an offense where we just stick a guy, and he’s the No. 1 guy on the outside.
“I also don’t think there are many of those guys walking around on the face of the earth like you’re talking about, the true Xs. So if you’re lucky enough to get one of them you hold on to them for dear life. And if you don’t, then you make it work with what you got.”
Should the Raiders Consider Drafting Elijah Sarratt?
With free agency and the draft approaching, Las Vegas has an opportunity to bolster its pass-catching options.
One potential scenario for the Raiders is selecting Mendoza with the top pick and using their second-round pick on former Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. On the Feb. 23 edition of the “Raiders Squad Show,” former offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy shared his thoughts on whether the front office should consider drafting Sarratt.
“Depending on the price, because if you could recreate that chemistry that they had in, say, last year in Indiana that would be notable,” Kennedy said. “You have a quarterback who’s familiar with the receiver… If you have that familiarity with the said receiver that Mendoza and Sarratt would have, especially coming back from Indiana, had an international championship run, that would be good.”
Will Elijah Sarratt Be Avaliable for Las Vegas?
Nonetheless, Kennedy also asked whether it’s realistic to draft him given where the Raiders will be picking in the second round, or whether they would need to trade up to edge out another team that might have an interest in him?
“Now it’s a business,” Kennedy added. “Does it make sense? Can we get him? What’s the price that we would have to pay to get him? Do we have to take him with that 36th pick? Will he be there? You see what I’m saying? Should you trade up to get him. You see a lot of things that jump at that fact. When you come to the evaluation, you look at it, you address needs, and you address the possibilities.
“But yes, chemistry is something that you really cannot duplicate until it happens. Every position, every player working with a new team has got to develop that chemistry, and it takes time to do that. So, because the Raiders do need a primary receiver, an extra receiver, in my opinion yes, it would make sense for him to go after somebody that Fernando Mendoza is used to.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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