Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: WR Jake Bobo, UCLA
The Las Vegas Raiders will look to overhaul and improve the entire roster this off-season.
Luckily for the Raiders, they’re in a good position to improve the roster via the draft.
The Silver and Black will have plenty of prospects to see today as the East-West Shrine Bowl takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
During this all-star game, we’ll be working alongside SI’s Draft Bible to get you the latest information on any potential wide receivers the Raiders may consider drafting.
“We’re going to continue to find players who fit what we look for, and continue to build this team in our vision, and I think we’re going to, at the same time, our goal is to win football games, and our goal for next year is to make an improvement over where we were this year,” Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler said.
Wide Receiver Jake Bobo, UCLA Bruins
“Jake Bobo has great size and fluidity as an athlete, which allows him to be versatile and he can be deployed as an offensive weapon anywhere on the field,” Draft Bible said of Bobo.
The 6-5, 215-pound wide receiver led the Bruins with 57 catches for 817 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
Bobo is a player who will and should benefit from appearing in the all-star game on Thursday because though he just had the best season of his college career at UCLA, he doesn’t have much to show in overall production dating to his four years playing at Duke.
Having gone up against the tough competition in the ACC, he came into the Pac-12 and played well against tougher defenders who are considered first and second-rounders in this year’s NFL Draft.
The now UCLA-product might not be the best route runner in this draft nor the fastest, but his size and footwork make him a challenging match-up for any defensive back going up against him, especially against smaller defensive backs.
“Bobo has surefire hands and a large catch radius to make easy catches out of inaccurate throws," Draft Bible added. "These strengths allow him to play in any formation and be a lethal chess piece to any offense.
“Playing in the slot creates mismatches with his size, going against smaller corners who are not used to playing bigger receivers. Bobo is also a solid run blocker, and he can use his size and physicality to be an asset in the run game.”
Bobo's game resembles the skill set of former New England Patriots Julian Edelman, but Bobo is a much bigger and stronger version of him, and I’m sure Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels would love to have him on the roster.
Bobo is projected to get off the board in the later rounds of the draft, which sets him up in a great position for the Raiders to go after defensive players first and then come back and add some offensive weapons later.
Drafting him will be a solid piece to add to this Raiders system that needs help solidifying the wide receiver group while adding help inside the slot.
The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., starting on Thursday, April 27, and ending with rounds five to seven on Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.
The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. Starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
Watch the NFL Playoffs live when you get your Raiders tickets from SI Tickets HERE.
Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
