The tight end position is far from settled in Oakland. They spent two sixth round picks on tight ends last year - Mychal Rivera and Nick Kasa - and didn't draft any this year. That made tight end a priority in undrafted free agency.
To find one, they went off the grid a little bit and grabbed Scott Simonson out of little known Division II Assumption College in Worcester Massachusetts. They weren't the only ones, however. The Chargers also made a call to Simonson to sign him. He chose the Raiders.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end was an All-American at Assumption and all conference first team selection with a team leading 39 receptions for 604 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Over 31 starts for the Greyhounds, he had 104 catches for 1,537 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"I had to choose pretty quick," Simonson told Staten Island Live. "After talking with my agent, we went with the Raiders because we know they needed tight ends and we thought I would have a better chance making the 53-man roster and making the field."
"I'm excited and at the same time nervous because it's the first time I will be in California. I'm going to give it 100 percent and try to make a name for myself coming from a small college that not many people have heard of."
Simonson was on many team's radars as a possible late round selection. He has ideal size and great hands. His main concern is his ability to block edge rushers so that will be something to keep an eye on in camp.
He played in this year's inaugural Medal of Honor game which is set up much like the Shrine Game, Senior Bowl, and NFLPA Bowl to showcase some lesser known college talent for NFL scouts. The Raiders ended up signing two players from the game including Virginia Tech wide receiver D.J. Coles.
In that game, the Raiders must have been impressed with his suspect blocking skills because he had just one catch for -1 yard in the game.
He comes in as a longshot, sitting behind David Ausberry, Mychal Rivera, Nick Kasa, and Brian Leonhardt. Leonhardt was in this same position last year so it's certainly possible.
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