Tucker Has the Speed, Now Needs to Use it Effectively

The Las Vegas Raiders selected two of some of the fastest players at their position in this year's draft: cornerback Jakorian Bennett and wide receiver Tre Tucker.

Tucker, who was a special teams nightmare for opponents at Cincinnati, was able to excel in large part due to his speed.

Now, as his first NFL preseason approaches, the next step for Tucker will be to add purpose to that speed on an NFL stage.

"Tre [Tucker] is handling a lot of stuff," Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels said when he addressed the media after his team's joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Friday. "He's learning multiple positions on offense, which for a young player, is great that he can do that. He has the aptitude to do it. We all knew he was fast when we drafted him, but in the NFL it's not just good enough to be fast, you've got to be able to use your speed the right way and learn how to run routes against different techniques and those kind of things. I think that's where we're at right now in his development is how do I improve the technique so that I can beat good players in the NFL when I have to and when I need to.

"So, he made some good plays today, another handful of things that I'm sure we're going to learn from, but he's been out there every day, which is great for young players to be out there and have those opportunities, that's the best thing we can ask."

Tucker ran a 4.40 40-yard dash time at this year's NFL Combine, which tied him as the fifth fastest among all wide receiver participants.

The rookie played four seasons at Cincinnati, where he contributed as a big factor to the Bearcats' trip to the College Football Playoff in 2021-22.

Tucker was a second-team All-AAC selection in the 2020 season.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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