General Manager Dave Ziegler’s philosophy remains consistent in approaching the 2023 NFL Draft: Improve the defensive line and help out the passing game for incoming quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
4 picks; two of them spent on the D-Line (Tyree Wilson, 7th overall and Byron Young, 70th overall) and two of them spent on the receiving core (Michael Mayer, 35th overall and Tre Tucker at 100th) as the Raiders selected four players in the top 100.
Tucker, a receiver out of the University of Cincinnati, standing just 5’9” (172 pounds), might be stronger than his slight stature indicates.
“Two of my cousins were twins, both nothing but 5 feet tall,” said Tucker moments after being drafted, referencing he and members of his family’s wrestling background. “They were both really strong and ranked number one in the country…they’d slam me all over the place, so I said you know what? Maybe I need to join wrestling, and I loved it…I think it kind of transitions to football in the mental aspect.”
Carrying great speed on tape, Tucker could find himself on the field first as a special teams player, with the hope of eventually opening things up for star receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, once he works himself into the receiving core.
“Tre has a lot of speed, I’d say a lot of versatility,” said Raiders GM Dave Ziegler shortly after picking Tucker to finish the team’s second draft night. “Both as a receiver, also because of his speed there’s a gadget element to him. He can be used in space…wether it’s sweeps or in the screen game…he’s a tough matchup because of his short-area quickness and his straight line speed. Beyond that, what’s unique about him is his production as a coverage player in the kicking game and also in the return game.”
The Raiders receiving core is already pretty good, if Tucker can provide a vertical threat to better open up the field for his draft-mate Michael Mayer, along with Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, the offense will benefit greatly, if only in doses when Tucker sees the field.
