After a historic performance by their rookie class in Week 11, the Oakland Raiders struggled to do much of anything on Sunday against the Jets. Their young team just wasn’t ready to compete, and they were blown-out by an inferior roster.
Today, we will break down the performances from their entire draft class from 2019. Here is the team’s rookie report card after Week 12.
DE Clelin Ferrell: C-
It was another relatively quiet game for Clelin Ferrell, who recorded just three assisted tackles on the day. He did finish the game with an assisted tackle for a loss, but he was held in check for most of the afternoon. Ferrell has been significantly better in the second half of the season, but Sunday wasn’t his best performance by any means. Look for him to bounce back in Week 13 against the Chiefs.
RB Josh Jacobs: D+
For most of the season, you can make the case that Josh Jacobs has not only been the best rookie running back in the league but, arguably, the NFL’s top back. He’s dominated whenever he has touched the ball, excelling after contact.
However, Sunday just wasn’t Jacobs’ day as he touched the ball only 11 times for 36 yards. The Jets put in a game-plan to take away the running game, and they were able to do just that, limiting Jacobs’ impact on the game. Once the game got out of hand, Jacobs no longer had a role as the team opted to use Jalen Richard in his place.
SS Johnathan Abram: N/A
The No. 27 pick in the 2019 NFL draft suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1 and was placed on the injured reserve list. With Karl Joseph hurt and expected to fit free agency this offseason, expect Abram to slide back into the starting lineup in 2020.
CB Trayvon Mullen: D
After securing the first interception of his career in Week 11, Trayvon Mullen took a step backward as the Raiders picked on him throughout the day. He finished the game with just three tackles with no pass deflections as Sam Darnold completed 20 of 29 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. It was a day to forget for not just Mullen, but the entire secondary.
DE Maxx Crosby: A+
If there was one bright spot for the Raiders on Sunday was that defensive end Maxx Crosby continues to make plays. Crosby recorded another sack this week, along with four total tackles and two tackles for a loss. He also recorded a quarterback hit as he was in the backfield all game long. Crosby continues to look like one of the best Day 3 values in the entire draft.
CB Isaiah Johnson: N/A
Despite Lamarcus Joyner being inactive, Isaiah Johnson couldn’t see the field very often on Sunday. Johnson failed to record a single stat as the Raiders used other defensive backs in his place. Look for Johnson to continue to be buried on the depth chart for the rest of the season.
TE Foster Moreau: C
Foster Moreau wasn’t a big part of the passing game on Sunday, seeing just one target. While the offensive struggles certainly weren’t his fault, he wasn’t as dominating as a blocker as we have come to expect. Moreau will be more involved in the offense over the next five weeks.
WR Hunter Renfrow: D
After a big Week 11 game, Week 12 might have been the worst game of Hunter Renfrow’s NFL career. Renfrow was targeted five times and was able to bring in just three passes for 31 yards. He also had two big drops, both of which occurred on third down that would have moved the chains.
Oakland needs Renfrow to be reliable on third downs to keep the offense afloat, but that just wasn’t the case on Sunday. The Raiders need him to bounce back in a big way next week against the Chiefs.
DE Quinton Bell: N/A
Bell was released from Oakland’s practice squad in Week 6 as the team continues to churn the bottom of the roster. Bell was just too raw of a player for Oakland to continue to stash.
