What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at TE ahead of NFL Draft
We take a look at the tight end position for the Raiders as the draft approaches to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Current projected starter: Austin Hooper
Depth: OJ Howard, Jesper Horsted, Cole Fotheringham
Tight end has been one of the strongest positions on the Raiders the past few seasons. And within a 24-hour period this offseason, all of that changed.
They traded away Pro Bowl tight end and franchise all-time single-season reception record holder Darren Waller and let Foster Moreau hit free agency.
They replaced Waller and Moreau with Austin Hooper and OJ Howard.
Once upon a time, Hooper made a couple Pro Bowls. But he hasn’t broken 450 yards receiving in a season in three years. Howard is much farther away, having not broken even 150 yards in the past three years.
Condition: Serious
Hooper and Howard don’t really look like the answer at tight end, but rather placeholders. Sure, they can both contribute, but day two pick at tight end would go a long way to bolstering this unit.
