Former Kentucky quarterback and wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr made for an intriguing prospect in this year’s draft. He was undoubtedly a weapon, but when would an NFL team pull the trigger on him and what would their plans be for him? That team turned out to be the Raiders with their first pick of the third round at o. 80 overall.
The Raiders didn’t have a second-round pick, so they wanted through some 60 picks before getting a shot at Bowden, making him the first of three picks the team had in the third round.
Following the completion of Day 2 of the draft, Mike Mayock spoke on his and Jon Gruden’s plans for the Raiders’ new offensive Swiss Army knife.
“Lynn Bowden we announced as a running back,” said Mayock over a conference call. “Ultimately he’ll probably be what we call a ‘Joker’ which I love in Jon’s offense. Somebody that’s able to do multiple jobs. But day one he’s going to come in and be a running back.”
Bowden, as he often did for the Wildcats, took his new role and is running with it.
This morning, Bowden had his first private signing session and alongside his signature, Bowden put “The Joker,” taking the role the Raiders have for him as a nickname.
The last time the Raiders had an established ‘Joker’ was Marcel Reece, who went to three Pro Bowls at the fullback position.
