The Las Vegas Raiders made an investment in quarterback Geno Smith.
With All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders' crop of pass-catchers has a solid foundation. Many believe they will look to add another playmaker in the 2025 NFL Draft, however, and prominent names like Missouri's Luther Burden III, Iowa State's Jaylin Noel, and TCU's Jack Bech have all been linked to the Raiders.
Those three players were just named among the best "clutch" wide receivers by Pro Football Focus'
">Lauren Gray.
Luther Burden (ranked No. 3)
Gray: "Burden ranked eighth in clutch yardage in 2024 (152), catching eight of 10 such targets for six first downs and two touchdowns. He secured three of four contested targets, forced two missed tackles and had four explosive gains. Burden finished with a perfect passer rating on clutch targets, with 50% of his targets coming from deep.
"The Missouri receiver opened overtime against Vanderbilt with a 25-yard touchdown catch and caught two passes for 29 yards against Auburn to move his offense deep into Tigers territory with less than 2 minutes remaining. Burden set up a first-and-goal late in the game against Oklahoma with a 33-yard catch on third-and-16 and followed that up with two late catches against South Carolina, including a spectacular one-handed, 37-yard touchdown on fourth-and-5 to give the Tigers a one-point lead."
Jaylin Noel (ranked No. 4)
Gray: "Noel finished third in clutch targets last season (18), catching 13 passes for 171 yards and nine first downs. He recorded four gains of 15-plus yards and averaged 2.59 yards per route run on clutch looks.
"Noel recorded a 30-yard catch against Iowa with 29 seconds remaining to move into Hawkeyes territory while down by two. He had three catches for 53 yards against Central Florida, including gains of 29 and 16 yards late in the game while trailing by five. Noel also made three catches in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Miami for 51 yards. Each reception came on the same drive with less than 4 minutes remaining, including another 29-yard gain on third-and-1 to move inside the red zone while down by six."
Jack Bech (ranked No. 5)
Gray: "Bech secured seven of nine clutch targets for 139 yards, all for first downs, in 2024. He caught two touchdown passes, recorded four catches of 15-plus yards and finished with a perfect passer rating when targeted.
"Bech separated along the back of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown against Stanford to give TCU a late lead. He also recorded a 13-yard catch against double coverage earlier in the quarter. Bech had three clutch catches for 68 yards against Central Florida, all double-digit gains, including a 39-yarder on which he forced two missed tackles. He made a 30-yard grab against Utah and a 24-yard touchdown against Baylor in clutch moments, too."
