It’s possible that in a few years, the Raiders look back at their 2015 draft class and rate it in glowing terms.
First-round pick Amari Cooper already has shown he’s a standout wide receiver. And defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr and linebackers Neiron Ball and Ben Heeney are making considerbable contributions, too.
But until last week, tight end Clive Walford, a third-round selection from Miami, had been mostly on the sidelines.
Though the Raiders were excited about his prospects when they drafted him – new head coach Jack Del Rio called him a complete tight end, with big upsides as a receiver and blocker – injuries in training camp slowed his progress. Through the first four games of this season, Walford was a minimal participant, catching just two passes for 5 yards.
But in the Raiders’ 16-10 loss to the Broncos this past Sunday, Walford had a big 33-yard catch early in the game to set up an Oakland touchdown.
On the play, Walford showed what he’s capable of adding to the Oakland offense: he found a seam in the Denver defense, made the grab, broke a tackle and then hustled toward the end zone.
Now that he’s healthy, it seems likely that Walford will be incorporated more into the team’s scheme after this bye week, when it resumes play against the Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 25.
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“I think he can always do those big things,” quarterback Derek Carr told reporters this week. “Maybe not that exact route or like that, but he’s a big-play guy. We saw it in college, obviously. In big games he made big plays. … I think that he’s going to continue to be able to be that guy in that position that can stretch the field, just like (Mychal Rivera) is.”
Rivera and veteran free-agent pickup Lee Smith have received most of the snaps at tight end so far, with Rivera the top receiver. He has nine catches for 64 yards. Smith has four catches for 28 yards.
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave told the media Thursday that he’s eager to use Walford more now that he’s healthy.
“We’re looking for his role to increase, along with everybody else’s,” Musgrave said. “It was great that there was another thing that we hadn’t done in the first four games that we did get Clive involved, albeit in a limited capacity. Can’t wait for that level to increase in the future.”
