Juron Criner

With three of the five receivers in Oakland nursing injuries, general manager Reggie McKenzie needed another body. After bringing in Jabar Gaffney and Tiquan Underwood for a workout, he decided to sign another free-agent wide receiver: Derek Hagan.

Hagan was first to announce that he had returned the the Raiders on his Twitter account. The Raiders have confirmed the move, waiving defensive back Coye Francies to make room on the 53-man roster.

Hagan was with the Raiders for six games in 2011 before being released when the Raiders signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He started two games, one in place of the injured Darrius Heyward-Bey in Week 2 and one in place of the injured Jacoby Ford in the slot in Week 3.

The Raiders couldn't risk going into Monday night with only two healthy receivers. They would be extremely thin at the position if either Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford or Juron Criner were not able to play or were severely limited.

Signing Hagan makes sense because he is familiar with the other players and likely came at an affordable price. Gaffney has multiple, suitors according to ProFootballTalk, and therefore can probably demand more money than Hagan. That's important, because each move has a ramification against the salary cap, and the contract of vested veterans like Gaffney and Hagan become guaranteed if they are on the roster Week 1.

The Raiders might not keep a sixth receiver on the roster if the top-five are healthy, but one was needed for at least a week, if not more.

The signing of Hagan and the release of Francies gives the Raiders 27 players on offense and 23 players on defense, which is very unbalanced and should continue to change over the next couple of weeks. 

Here's a quick trip around the AFC West for other must-reads this morning.

Denver

Jeff Legworld of the Denver Post says cornerback Chris Harris is included in the Broncos' big plans.

Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post reports that revenge plays no role in Broncos vs. Steelers rematch.

Kansas City

Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star thinks that the Chiefs have too much cap room. 

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star reports that the Chiefs have six defensive starters that will either not play or have their status for Week 1 in doubt. 

San Diego

Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that general manager A.J. Smith is his own toughest critic. 

Scott Bair of the North County Times says Smith hopes the Chargers have the depth to contend in 2012. 

Oakland

As first reported by Aaron Wilson, the Raiders removed Tory Humphrey, Jamie Cumbie, Ed Wang and RaShawn Jackson from the injured reserve with injury settlements. They are now free agents.

Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle says the old lion, Richard Seymour, is ready to roar again. 

The Oakland Raiders compiled over 500 yards of offense en route to a 31-20 preseason victory over the visiting Detroit Lions. Terrelle Pryor took over at quarterback in the third quarter and orchestrated three straight touchdown drives that included a 17-yard scramble for a touchdown and two long touchdown passes to rookie receiver Juron Criner. 

Pryor powered the offense and looked like a man among boys against the Lions No. 2 defense, but fans should temper their expectations and any talk of Pryor overtaking Matt Leinart as Oakland's No. 2 quarterback. The performance of the defense and the rookie receivers is what should have the Raider Nation really excited. 

Pryor is a very talented player, and he finally had the opportunity to demonstrate this athletic ability, but he has yet to show he's a legitimate passer. A 3-of-5 passing night with 137 yards and two touchdowns, including a underthrown deep pass down the right sideline that Juron Criner caught over the back of the defender, does not count as passing efficiency. 

One thing that Pryor has proved so far this preseason is that the Raiders would be stupid not to implement a few special packages tailored to his specific skill set. Pryor is big, fast and agile, and he creates matchup issues for opposing defenses when he is in at quarterback.

Pryor is a faster version of Tim Tebow at this point, and for all Tebow's deficiencies as a passer, he did help lead the Broncos to be the top-ranked rushing offense last season. That kind of skill set can be useful to the Raiders in the red zone or anytime the Raiders are trying to take some of the focus off of Darren McFadden.

Red-zone scoring has been an area of concern for the Raiders this preseason. It took the Raiders five plays to punch the ball in for the touchdown from the 1-yard line against the Lions, with McFadden finally sneaking it over the goal line on 4th-and-2. Pryor can help. Just don't expect him to be a great passing quarterback, because he still has a long way to go.

One area where the Raiders have not struggled is at wide receiver, where the team seems to have an embarrassment of riches after drafting Criner and signing undrafted rookie Rod Streater. Criner caught two passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns with the defensive back getting called for pass interference on both plays. Streater continued his impressive preseason with five more catches against the Lions. That makes 18 catches for Streater this preseason, which is one shy of the number of passes he caught at Temple University last year. 

Streater and Criner add to what was already a fairly deep group of receivers with Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford. Obviously, not all the receivers can play, but you won't see an offensive coordinator complain that he has too many weapons at his disposal. Heyward-Bey has also shown some improvement this preseason, adjusting to balls in flight. He had an impressive one-handed grab that he caught behind the defensive back against the Lions. 

There is some concern in Oakland about Carson Palmer, the man tasked with getting the ball to the receivers. Palmer has thrown four interceptions and no touchdowns this preseason and will not play in the final preseason game. Palmer continues to make head-scratching decisions under pressure that are simple to avoid. 

The Raiders might have to rely more heavily on their rebuilt defense if Palmer can't make better decisions. The good news is that the defense has looked good this preseason, and the first-team defense has allowed only two touchdowns this preseason. Neither touchdown drive the Raiders have allowed were longer than 60 yards, and one was a short 23-yard drive after a Mike Goodson fumble. 

Calvin Johnson, Mathew Stafford and the rest of Detroit's offense carved up the Raiders last season. It was a good sign that the Raiders were able to take away Johnson and limit Stafford.

Other Notes

Taiwan Jones got his first action of the preseason and rushed five times for 50 yards. He looks fast and will likely be the primary backup to McFadden this season. 

Reserve defensive lineman Jamie Cumbie batted down several Kellen Moore passes and had a sack in the second half. He will have to repeat his performance next week to give himself a shot at the 53-man roster as a fourth defensive tackle.

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski left the game with a groin injury, and Eddy Carmona hit a 53-yard field goal from the infield dirt. Carmona will likely stick around for a while to let Janikowski heal. 

On Monday night in Oakland, the nation got to see—thanks to a nationally televised game on ESPN—what the beat writers and coaches have been seeing: an undrafted rookie receiver that is making a serious push for playing time. 

In his debut, Rod Streater had six receptions for 66 yards playing with the No. 2 offense and accounted for more than half of Matt Leinart's completions.

Streater signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Temple after weighing offers from Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Streater ultimately chose the Raiders, partly because of the opportunity he would get in Oakland and partly because the Raiders were his favorite team growing up. 

How did this rookie gem slip past 32 teams more than seven times? The answer is simple enough: Streater had just 19 receptions his senior year at Temple. Streater didn't do much better his junior year, either, with only 30 receptions. Streater was such an unknown, he produced his own YouTube highlight videos in college. 

It's understandable how a guy with only 49 career receptions in college could slip between the cracks. Streater's 4.37 second 40-yard dash at 6'3", 200 pounds and history as a high-jumper at his junior college, Alfred State, made him an intriguing athlete and worthy of at least a camp invite. He also had a 11.2' broad jump and 37.5" vertical jump at his pro day, which certainly turned the head of a few scouts.

Reggie McKenzie recognized Streater's ability and was in constant contact with Streater's agent, D.S. Ping, before, during and after the draft, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Perhaps Ping convinced McKenzie to look a little closer at Streater and his 49 receptions because he produced 882 yards with his limited opportunities, good for 18.0 yards per reception. 

Streater is capable of making big plays. During his senior season at Temple, Streater had 21.1 yards per reception, and nearly 16 percent of his receptions went for a touchdowns. It was enough for McKenzie to bring him in despite a stable of young receivers in Oakland.

You would expect Streater to be a raw, physical prospect that needs a lot of work on his routes, blocking and beating press coverage. While Streater is hardly a finished product, he has shown the ability to run clean routes, block and beat the press. It's a rare trio of traits you don't often find in a college receiver, particularly one that wasn't drafted.

Streater's blocking was mostly developed at the college level, when he blocked for Bernard Piece, Matt Brown, Chris Coyer and the rest of the Temple Owls. Temple was a run-heavy team in 2011 with  627 rush attempts for 3364 rushing yards compared to just 166 passing attempts for 1,648 passing yards.

Blocking was one area where Streater had already refined his game, and it comes as good news to the Raiders because they are deploying Greg Knapp's outside zone scheme that requires the receivers to block.

It would not be surprising to see Streater receive snaps with the No. 1 offense strictly to block. The Raiders might be able to use a three-receiver set as a running formation with Streater on the field. Blocking will not be a reason Streater losses snaps, and he's doing everything he can to earn more.

As with many young receivers, route running might be a concern, but Streater has proven to be a quick study and he has already impressed his head coach.

"I think he's a little bit of the same type of player (as Moore)," Dennis Allen said. "He's a good route runner. Not unlike Denarius not a lot of people knew a lot about him and he came in here and did a nice job and caught a lot of people's eye and that's what this kid is doing." (via Vic Tafur, The San Francisco Chronicle)

Perhaps Streater has carried over good study habits from college at Temple, where he was an honor roll student in 2011. 

Beating press coverage is often quoted as the primary concern for college receivers that don't face much press coverage, and Streater has taken the advice of his agent and started jujutsu. He's a white belt and his agent also happens to be his instructor.

"Some define jujutsu and similar arts rather narrowly as unarmed close combat systems used to defeat or control an enemy who is similarly unarmed." (via aikidojournal.com)

Jujutsu even sounds a lot like the battle at the line of scrimmage between a receiver and a defensive back, and Streater is already having good success with the training even though he's only recently started. 

As evidenced by his six receptions on Monday, Leinart trusts Streater to get open and make the catch, and he has the same trust from Carson Palmer. After Streater uncharacteristically dropped two passes during practice, he came back to make the play of the day with a diving grab over the middle.

"It's called being mentally tough." Streater said of clearing his mind after the two drops. "Carson (Palmer) told me the day before, 'You're going to make plays, I've seen you make plays before, I know you can do it, but you're not going to catch everything. You've got to have a short-term memory, come back and make the next one.' That's what I did."

One of Dennis Allen's many buzzwords during training camp has been "mental toughness," and Streater is demonstrating he's a mentally tough football player.

Streater's progression has been so rapid that offensive coordinator Greg Knapp wouldn't close the door on Streater or Juron Criner being starters. 

"We'll see," Knapp said. "They have made some plays that have caught our eye. They're still learning the system, and being assignment-perfect is where they're still growing." (via Vic Tafur, The San Francisco Chroncile)

Streater realizes that playing in the NFL is just as much about the mental game as it is the physical, and he prides himself on knowing his playbook. Streater and Criner room together and will quiz each other on plays and assignments. 

Perhaps Streater's rise from junior college defensive back to NFL wide receiver makes him the kind of rare player that is equal parts physical ability and mental ability. He's pushing for significant playing time and can be used in a variety of ways in Oakland's offense.

It might seem like Streater doesn't have a weakness, and that is partially true. Streater is still perfecting his game; he's still making rookie mistakes. He's not yet consistent, but he's shown he can do it all, and there is not a single area you can point to and say he needs a lot of work.

Streater is doing it all now; he's just got to demonstrate he can do it all the time. Receivers in the NFL that can do it all the time are able to dominate defenses, and Streater is not yet to that level, but if he keeps progressing at this rate, he might get there. 

2012 Role

It seems like a stretch for Streater to start over Denarius Moore when Moore is healthy, but he hasn't exactly been the model of health since he broke into the league last year. With Moore nursing a sore hamstring, Jacoby Ford has moved from the slot to the flanker position, and Streater became the primary option in the slot.

After a poor performance from Ford on Monday night, it wouldn't be surprising to see Streater shifted outside and Ford back to the slot. If Moore returns, Streater could also continue to see snaps with the No. 1 offense as a slot receiver with Ford dropping down the depth chart. 

It's clear from practice that Streater will continue to be heavily involved in the offense, and expanded playing time comes expanded opportunities in the passing game. 

Fantasy 

Streater appears poised to have a significant role in 2012, and with Moore's injury history and Ford's recent struggles, he could be worth a look in deep leagues or as a late-round flier.

It's been a long time since we've had a Marques Colston in fantasy football, and Streater had the whole package and will definitely push for playing time, at the slot and outside. 

The question will be how much Knapp will pass the ball and if he will pass the ball enough to make any of the receivers in Oakland viable fantasy players. 

You could do worse than to select Streater as a flier, particularly if you are one of the few who still believes in Carson Palmer. 

Christopher Hansen is a Lead Blogger at Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisHansenNFL

Instead of pads, head coach Dennis Allen had his players in shorts and shells during Wednesday morning’s practice. The players were originally slated to wear pads for the ninth consecutive practice, but Allen decided to ratchet down the intensity because the players had been giving good effort. The injury to Mike Goodson during yesterday’s practice likely factored into Allen’s thinking as well.

Allen said Goodson was sore, but doing better. In the interim, Lonyae Miller, Rashawn Jackson and Marcel Reece split the load at tailback behind Darren McFadden.

Reece was getting work as a tailback on Tuesday prior to Goodson’s injury and Allen said Reece is not only filling in at running back out of necessity. “Some of it is trying to put him back there and hand the ball off to him and see where he’s at and see how he fits the scheme.” Allen said.

Miller has impressed Allen with his understanding of the zone scheme and ability to get yards despite not being as explosive as McFadden, Goodson or Taiwan Jones.  Miller will get extensive action on Monday night against Dallas. “I would expect that he would be tired after Monday night’s game,” Allen said.

The players probably welcomed the lighter practice before Thursday’s day off, everyone except veteran cornerback Ron Bartell who hasn’t worn pads since last September. Bartell missed most of last year with a neck injury and the first six practices of training camp with a hamstring injury. Due to the new collective bargaining agreement, Bartell was eligible to put the pads on for the first time on Wednesday. 

“I was actually looking forward to getting full pads on.” Bartell said. “I’m probably the only guy on the team that felt that way.”

Bartell has performed well the past few days without pads and he might get even better when he can add the physical element to his game. Bartell has routinely had good coverage, particularly on Darrius Heyward-Bey .

Probably the only reception against Bartell on Wednesday was a well-executed post pattern from Carson Palmer to Jacoby Ford. Bartell, unlike Stanford Routt, has a short memory and could not recall the play after practice. Ford’s speed is very difficult to cover without pads and being able to forget those plays will be a positive for the Raiders’ No. 1 cornerback.

As one of the veteran cornerbacks, Bartell has seen his fair share of receivers. Not only has he seen them, but his job is based upon studying them. So far, Bartell is impressed with the two rookie receivers, Rod Streater and Juron Criner.

“They are both young, inexperienced.” Bartell said. “Both have really good size, good hands. They’ve learned a lot; they’ve come a long way since OTAs. It’s good to see them with pads on because guys who do a lot when you don’t have pads on, make a lot of plays, and as soon as you throw the pads on they fall off a little bit, but those two guys they still stood out. I think they both have a bright future.”

Criner says he’s fighting through the grind of camp just by staying eager. “Never take a day off.” Criner said. “Even when I know something, I’m getting better at taking mental reps. That’s been something that’s really been helping me a lot.”

Some of those mental reps come in the form of a quiz from his roommate Streater. The two rookies have been quizzing each other on the playbook in hopes of being able to grasp it better.

As a rookie, there’s always going to be things for him to work on and Criner said he’s trying to become a better blocker. Criner’s already a pretty polished route-runner and has nice soft natural hands, so adding blocking to his game is the next logical step. “I watch even some of the other receivers see all their aggressiveness with blocking.” Criner said. “That’s something I have to get installed in my body.”

Roster Notes

Cornerback Pat Lee has moved ahead of Chimdi Chekwa on the depth chart. Lee was getting time with the No. 2 defense on Wednesday, something Allen said was earned based on his performance.

Richard Gordon continued to flash his ability as a receiver on Wednesday. Gordon made a least two nice grabs in a drill that excluded the offensive and defensive lines. Already the team’s best blocking tight end, it has to be an encouraging sign for the team when a guy mostly known for his blocking is able to make a few plays in the passing game.

Gordon seems to be making steady improvement under the tutelage of former offensive coordinator Al Saunders and has probably solidified himself as the No. 2 for the time being.

Practice Observations

Matt Leinart has been a consistent presence at quarterback for the Raiders throughout all of training camp. Leinart clearly has a firm grasp of the offense and is able to execute the plays. Among his few misses on Wednesday were two passes that skimmed the fingertips of tight end Troy Humphrey, which are the types of passes that improve as the players get to know each other.

Leinart has been on target with his short and intermediate passes almost every day. He’s the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback and one of the few in the league who could probably take over without much of a drop off.

Terrelle Pryor seems to be improving steadily, but he’s far too inconsistent. Pryor will make a really nice play and follow it with an inaccurate throw. His legs are his best weapon, but the Raiders seem content developing him as traditional quarterback.

The starting offensive line has been a constant since the first day of training camp. Jared Veldheer, Cooper Carlisle, Stefen Wisniewski, Mike Brisiel and Khalif Barnes have been consistently good at opening holes in the running game and have done a pretty good job keeping the pass rush off Carson Palmer. There have been occasional lapses in pass protection, but nothing that hasn’t been solved by a Palmer check-down pass to McFadden.

Shawntae Spencer had another solid day. It seems that Spencer has played much better since Bartell returned to practice on Monday. Spencer has limited Ford, Heyward-Bey and Streater in coverage and has been particularly effective in red-zone drills.

Injury Report

Mike Goodson (neck)

Jack Crawford (foot)

Richard Seymour (ankle)

Denarius Moore (hamstring)

Eddie McGee (hamstring)

Taiwan Jones (hamstring)

Shane Lechler (knee)—NFI list

Aaron Curry (knee)—PUP list

Christopher Hansen is a Lead Blogger at Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

It has been reported by Bill Williamson of ESPN that the Oakland Raiders and fifth-round pick Juron Criner are at odds over the bonus on the rookie's contract.  

The Raiders, according to NFL contract guidelines, are offering exactly what a compensatory fifth-round pick is slated to earn.  Criner and his agent are demanding around $158,000, which is just slightly less than what the 32nd pick of the fifth round received.  

In my opinion, Juron Criner should either fire his agent or just sign and get in camp.  

This is a bad start to his NFL career.  He needs to get in camp and work on the chemistry between himself and QB Carson Palmer.  He looked good at the Raiders' mini-camp and should be getting a lot of reps if he gets in camp on time.  

If he misses the start of camp he is risking getting buried on the depth chart behind the other WRs.  The Raiders have another rookie in Rod Streater who also looked good at mini-camp and even got some reps with the first-team offense.  

If he ends up fourth or fifth on the depth chart, he won't get a chance to prove what he can do.  He needs to realize that.  He is jeopardizing potentially millions of dollars by holding out over $14,000.

Hey, Juron, fire your agent, sign your deal and get to work!

As first reported by Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, the Raiders have traded receiver Louis Murphy to the Carolina Panthers.

It marks the second trade this season between the two clubs, as the Raiders sent offensive tackle Bruce Campbell to Carolina earlier in the offseason for veteran running back Mike Goodson.

The Raiders gain flexibility, cap space and what is presumed to be a conditional late-round draft pick for Murphy. The team confirmed the trade but did not disclose the draft-pick compensation.

Murphy's departure will mean a more robust competition between several undrafted rookie receivers for the last couple of roster spots in Oakland.

According to Henry Wofford of CSN Bay Area via Twitter, Murphy was unhappy in Oakland and wanted out. Coupled with Murphy clearly on the roster bubble, it only made sense for the Raiders to move him for a late-round pick.

For the Raiders, they gain a lot of roster and positional flexibility without Murphy.

Rookie Juron Criner should move up the depth chart, and undrafted free agent Rod Streater should have an easier time making the roster. If the Raiders keep six wideouts, it could open the door for another undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster.

Among the youngsters with an increased chance of making the team due to the trade of Murphy are rookies Duke Calhoun, Derek Carrier, Brandon Carswell, Thomas Mayo and Travionte Session, and second-year man Eddie McGee, who spent last season on the Raiders practice squad.

McGee was an offseason favorite to make the roster after he was spotted catching passes from Carson Palmer in Southern California this winter with Terrell Owens and his teammates, Darrius Heyward-Bey and David Ausberry. The drafting of Criner and the subsequent addition of so many undrafted receivers put a dent in McGee's chances, but he could become a front-runner for the final spot once again.

The other option for the Raiders would be to keep five receivers instead of six and trying to stick one of the aforementioned undrafted rookies on the practice squad. That allows the squad flexibility to keep an extra running back, tight end or defensive back.

Once in serious cap trouble, the Raiders also saved $1.26 million against the cap with the trade, according to Spotrac.com. Murphy's total contract was $1.372 million, but the remaining signing bonus peroration of $112,000 will count against the Raiders' cap this season.

Oakland now has close to $6 million in salary cap space, which is more than enough to sign the two undrafted rookies, Criner and Tony Bergstrom, and potentially add a couple veteran FAs as the team sees fit.

Among the potential free agents who could help the Raiders are running back Cedric Benson, linebackers E.J. Henderson and Gary Brackett and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. Another potential option would be troubled cornerback Aaron Berry, recently released by the Lions after his second arrest this offseason.

Berry played reasonably well for the Lions last season and was expected to start this year. ProFootballFocus gave Berry a positive grade, and he ranked 25th in their 2011 rankings.

The legal issues could be a stumbling block, but Berry would come cheap, and the Raiders have two veteran cornerbacks and two young corners with strong characters to help guide the troubled Berry. Overall, the character and leadership in Oakland are far superior to that in Detroit, and that could help Berry get back on track.

It's a win-win for both the receiver-needy Panthers and the receiver-rich, cash-poor Raiders.

Oakland frees up additional cap space and roster flexibility, and Carolina gains a receiver who thrived in the spread offense. Murphy certainly has the talent, but he was unable to maintain health last season and is likely unhappy with being pushed down the depth chart by a younger player after being the team's leading receiver two seasons ago.

For the third year in a row, the Raiders have a rookie receiver making noise. Last season, Denarius Moore was being compared to 2010 rookie Jacoby Ford. Now, Arizona product Juron Criner has the NFL wondering if the Raiders did it again.

Criner was the talk of organized team activities and minicamp after making several acrobatic plays. He's not your typical Raiders' speed demon at receiver, but for his size, he's quick. Outside of the buzz he's generated this offseason, Criner, Moore and Ford are about as different physically as they could be, considering they all play the same position.

Despite coming in a different size package, Criner could be the next late-round rookie to make an impact with the Raiders. Although Criner shares situational similarities to Moore and Ford, he might actually compare more favorably to another receiver drafted by Reggie McKenzie—Jordy Nelson.

Criner and Nelson share more physical similarities than many realize. They're both 6'3", about 200 pounds, ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range and averaged about 13 yards per catch in college. The Raiders would certainly love to have a Jordy Nelson, but it's worth noting that it took three years before Nelson had his breakout season.

Coincidentally, Moore and Nelson had the same number of receptions in their rookie seasons. There's no reason Criner couldn't produce similar results his rookie season, but no one should expect numbers approaching that of Nelson's 2011 season or the type of yardage Moore produced as a rookie in Hue Jackson's vertical attack.

Criner's challenge will be opportunity, as he's buried beneath Darrius Heyward-Bey, Moore and Ford on the Raiders' depth chart. It's difficult to produce without the opportunity. In 2011, despite a stellar training camp, Moore didn't get his opportunity until Ford was injured, but he made the most of it and was the starter the rest of the way.

Particularly troubling is that he's best suited for the position currently held by Heyward-Bey—the Raiders' leading receiver from a year ago. Heyward-Bey has built a strong relationship with Carson Palmer and is likely to remain the starter as long as he's healthy.

To get Criner on the field, the Raiders might consider using him in the slot in place of Ford on third downs and getting him on the field in red-zone passing situations, so he can use his height, hands and vertical leap to haul in jump balls. 

If Criner can be more consistent than Moore was his rookie year, he could easily catch just as many passes by playing in only half the offensive snaps. While Moore was given the starting job, it's possible to produce the same type of numbers as a situational player.

It seems like a long shot that the Raiders would have a passing attack that featured four receivers with run-centric offensive coordinator Greg Knapp running things in Oakland, but taking a closer look at Knapp's track record reveals something interesting.

The last time he was offensive coordinator in 2009 with the Seahawks, the team actually led the league in pass attempts and spread the ball around to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and Deon Butler.

There exists a blueprint for using Criner without needing to bench Moore and Heyward-Bey. Nelson started only two games during his rookie reason but produced 33 receptions and two touchdowns. According to ProFootballFocus, Nelson played in 48.9 percent of the offensive snaps. That's in line with the amount of snaps Moore received in Week 1 as the third option last season.

The greatest impact would be on Ford; he wouldn't be likely to see more than the 38.8 percent of the snaps he received in 2011. That could ultimately be a good thing for Ford as the Raiders would have him for kick and potentially also punt returns. Unlike Ford and Moore, Criner might not need a starter to go down with injury to be the next late-round receiver to have a great rookie season.

The Raiders left their comfort zone when drafting Juron Criner—an Arizona receiver who had a notably slow 40-yard dash.

While in charge of the Raiders, Al Davis was known for taking some great talent, even if the players were raw. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

One name that makes every Raiders fan cringe: JaMarcus Russell.

Russell—the hopeful franchise QB for Oakland—was such an incredibly physical specimen, but his mental ability didn't come close to his physical ability.

Sadly, we all know how the Russell experiment turned out.

The Raiders now have other physically gifted players like speedsters Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey—the fastest receiving corps in the NFL. These receivers—along with Criner and his less than stellar 4.68 40-yard dash—look to be headed in the right direction.

Criner was a fifth-round pick for the Raiders, but could have been selected as high as the third round if not for his slow 40 time. The reality is that Oakland got a steal with the 168th pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

A former All Pac-12 player for Arizona, Criner is a big body and legitimate red-zone threat. His 38" vertical combined with his 6'3" and 224-pound frame provides size that other Raiders receivers lack.

Not only that, but his size is remarkably similar to another notoriously "slow" receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. Coincidentally, the Cardinals receiver is 6'3" and weighs 218 pounds (a very similar body type to Criner).

Criner has impressed many people in OTAs. According to InsideBayArea, at one point he made "four head-turning plays during a 20-minute span."

Four impressive plays in preseason workouts is quite different from such plays during the regular season. However, with no receivers locked into the No.1 and No.2 slots, Criner should get a shot to show new coach Dennis Allen what he can do in-game.

He represents the continuation in a trend of wide receivers in the NFL that aren't small, speedy players, but are closer to the Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald models who can jump and catch lobs in the corner of the end zone over smaller defenders.

Does Criner have the ability to take a hit from a NFL linebacker? That remains to be seen; but he has the size to succeed, and has been impressive thus far in the offseason.

He may have a long way to go to catch Larry Fitzgerald, but the NFL always welcomes a breakout star (see Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in New England).

The Raiders would enjoy a solid season from their rookie receiver, too. All he has to do is make the most of his opportunities.

Easier said than done.