At the recent league meetings Jon Gruden

and Mike Mayock both spoke about the running back a being a position of need. Gruden said he wanted a running back who can block Antonio Brown Jersey , catch, and run the ball,..."At the recent league meetings Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock both spoke about the running back a being a position of need. Gruden said he wanted a running back who can block, catch, and run the ball, stating that those kinds of backs are “hard to find.”Shortly after the league meetings Isaiah Crowell was signed by the Raiders. The 5-year veteran was a former highly touted recruit out of high school who was eventually dismissed from the University of Georgia football team for disciplinary issues including a weapons arrest. Crowell got his life back in order at Alabama State University before eventually going undrafted in 2014 and signing with the Browns.The background on Isaiah Crowell is important because if not for the off field problems at Georgia — a school that has churned out first round RB talent like Knowshon Moreno, Todd Gurley, and Sony Michel in recent years — Crowell would likely have been a high draft pick. et’s take a look at Crowell’s game and see if he is the feature back Gruden is looking for.Grinding out tough yardsCrowell is the type of back who falls forward after contact. On this outside run he delivers a blow to the safety, sending two would-be-tacklers to the ground. He manages to stay on his feet after this collision to get a few extra yards at the end of this run. If Marshawn Lynch doesn’t return to the Raiders, the offense will be in need of a back who can finish runs like this.A 51-game starter in his career, Crowell isn’t just a power back, he has some finesse in his game as well. His offensive line doesn’t do him many favors on this run but he changes directions multiple times to evade tacklers before beating Von Miller around the corner to get 7 yards on what could have been a run for a loss.This type of run doesn’t happen every game for Crowell who prefers to put his foot in the ground and accelerate to the second level without the extra moves. With improved run blocking in front of him he shouldn’t have to dance like this in order to get yardage.Big playsWhen Crowell gets a lane, he can do damage. Wide zone to the right, he puts his foot in the ground and barrels in between the guard and tackle. He shrugs off an arm-tackle before beating two defensive backs in a race to the endzone. Crowell shows he can really scoot if given the chance. Making this play on a zone run play should be encouraging to Raiders fans who will get another year for Tom Cable to prove his zone blocking scheme is really the best thing for the Raiders.This run play against Denver is called “Duo.” Like a zone play, the offensive linemen will double the defensive linemen in front of them. But unlike a zone play, neither will come off this block instead resetting the line of scrimmage and allowing the RB to account for the unblocked linebacker. Crowell reads aggressive fits from the defense and bounces the play outside. His ability to put his foot in the ground and change direction while maintaining full speed is fun to watch and ends up sending two Broncos to the turf on this TD run.These long runs weren’t an aberration for Crowell who’s had his share of big plays in his career. Crowell posted long of 77 yards in 2018 and a long of 85 yards in 2016. A back isn’t making plays like that in the NFL without legit speed.Pass protectionAgainst Jacksonville, Crowell had to help his rookie QB stay alive in the face of a fearsome pass rush. The 5-11, 225-pound back does a great job recognizing the blitzing linebacker up the middle even though the defense showed pressure off the edge. His technique however is lacking. He has a tendency to stop his feet and “catch” blitzers instead of delivering a blow. He also ducks his head on the play above.That tendency to catch blitzers rears its ugly head on this rep against the Vikings. Watch how Crowell gathers his feet and braces for impact while the defender is still 3 yards away. Crowell ends up getting tossed backwards and his man gets credit for the sack. The best backs in pass protection attack the rusher and meet him as soon as they can, giving the QB some extra room to work with.Crowell is not a reliable pass protector. For this reason fellow Jets RB Bilal Powell saw many of the 3rd down reps and was on the field in obvious passing situations. Catching the ball out of the backfieldCatching the ball is the least developed part of Crowell’s game. This is a simple concentration drop that happens when a player is thinking about making his next move instead of securing the catch. Part of the reason for Crowell’s sparse usage in the pass game is his limited route tree. He was asked to run this “chute route” off play-action the most in 2018. He also ran a few crossing patterns and swing routes as well but that’s about it. The premier running backs in today’s NFL (Alvin Kamara, Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliot, Le’Veon Bell, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey) all run routes downfield. They have the ability to attack defense down the seam despite starting their route in the backfield. This is not in Crowell’s game and Richard or a rookie RB likely will get that responsibility.That being said, Crowell can be called upon occasionally as a pass catcher. He is better with the ball in his hands and is a tough man to take down 1-on-1 in the open field.ConclusionCrowell is not a complete feature back in today’s NFL. He does not have the skill set to stay on the field for all 3 downs on a consistent basis. His pass blocking is the first area that needs to improve. If he can’t keep the QB upright Amari Cooper Jersey , Gruden will pull him from the game quickly.On early downs Crowell can be an explosive back who can produce in a variety of blocking schemes. He can churn out tough yards one play and break off a long run on another, showing why he was such a prized recruit out of high school. He would be at his best grinding out a game in the fourth quarter to keep a lead and drain the clock. Unfortunately he has never been on a winning team spending the first four seasons of his career in Cleveland and last year with the 4-12 Jets.If things change this season in Oakland he could be in for a career season. An interesting position group going into the season will be tight end for the Raiders. Last year arguably the strength of the offense, Jared Cook was a pro bowler and Lee Smith a locker room leader..."An interesting position group going into the season will be tight end for the Raiders. Last year arguably the strength of the offense, Jared Cook was a pro bowler and Lee Smith a locker room leader and devastating blocker. Jared Cook left in free agency opening up a glaring void at the receiving tight end role in the Raiders offense. And yesterday it was announced that fan favorite Lee Smith was released from his contract with the team. The tight ends on the roster are now Darren Waller, Derek Carrier, Luke Willson, Paul Butler and newly drafted 4th round pick Foster Moreau out of LSU.The narrative around Moreau is that he is a high character football player who earned recognition from his coaches and teammates for his hard work and leadership while at LSU. Many reports indicate that Moreau is a great blocker with the athleticism to be a good all around NFL tight end. Let’s take a closer look to see if the film matches the story on Moreau.BlockingMoreau is not a complete blocker at this point in his football career. He needs to improve his technique as well as add strength in order to not be a liability. Good news for Raiders fans, his best blocking reps were in zone schemes where he utilizes his athleticism to block on the move.Starting with the good, Moreau isn’t the best in line blocker yet, but when he had help from his offensive line he was able to turn out a few reps like the one above. He gets hip to hip with the right tackle, driving his feet and rolling his hips through the defender before taking him to the ground.The example above is from a zone scheme where Moreau helps the left tackle double the end before he releases upfield to “arc” block the safety. Moreau shows great fluidity in space and is able to work his way to blockers in a way some tight ends can’t.Another example of Moreau blocking while on the move came on this counter play. Moreau is able to wall off the linebacker in the hole and help the running back get to the second level. Moreau shows great processing, quickly identifying his assignment in traffic and executing the block.Unfortunately Moreau has twice as many bad reps blocking than good ones. This one highlights how far he has to go before he can be counted on as an-line blocker. In a single block on the defensive end, Moreau gets walked backwards into the path of the ball carrier. The defender is able to disengage and get his hands on the running back 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage.Moreau isn’t always able to out- athletic defenders either. On this inside zone play he comes across the formation and needs to block the end man on the line of scrimmage. He coils his body to explode through contact but ends up getting thrown to the ground by the Florida linebacker, allowing another tackle for loss. Being truthful with Raider nation, this was a common occurrence in Moreau’s tape. He is not ready to block the likes of Joey Bosa, Von Miller, and Frank Clark with any kind of success day one.ReceivingMoreau perhaps shows more upside as a receiver despite rarely ever being asked to catch the football. His combine performance put him in the elite athleticism range for tight ends posting an elite relative athletic score at his position, second only to Noah Fant in this 2019 draft class. His upside as a receiver should be where Raiders fans are most excited about his projection in the offense.Moreau is a reliable target who can use his size (6’4’’ 250lbs) to post up defenders and secure contested catches in traffic. This is an area where tight ends must flourish in any offense and Moreau checks that box off. Per PFF, Moreau caught 81.5% of his targets in college.Although Moreau only caught 52 passes in 29 career games, he flashed ability as a receiver who can get downfield and get extra yards after the catch. Most NFL tight ends can post up smaller defenders, but the rare ones are able to turn up field and become runners when the ball is in their hands. Moreau has the athleticism to potentially have that impact for the Raiders.If a tight end wants to earn extra targets he needs to prove to his quarterback that he deserves it. Catches like this show Moreau has great hands and the body control to make catches even when the ball is placed awkwardly. Raiders fans have been plagued by seeing players drop catchable passes, it doesn’t seem like this will be an issue for Moreau.ConclusionMoreau likely won’t start early in his career even with the departure of Lee Smith. Luke Willson projects to be able to fill that role of in-line blocker. Moreau right now is better suited as the move tight end or “Joker” in Gruden’s offense with his athleticism and sure hands, but it’s Darren Waller who is the favorite to start in that role early on in the season.Moreau has a chance to be a solid contributor for the Raiders in the future and is an exciting player to have on the team when taking into account his high character and work ethic. His presence in the locker room is in line with the culture Gruden and Mayock are attempting to build so in that respect he could fill Lee Smith’s shoes. However his role in the offense will likely be far different from what Smith added as a hard-nosed blocker in Silver & Black the past few seasons.