NFL Draft 2019: Immediate reactions, grades to Raiders selection of TE Foster Moreau

After moving around the board quite a bit, the Raiders finally got their tight end at late in the fourth round. Here is the Silver & Black Pride staff’s early thoughts on the selection.

Tyler Green

Moreau joins a deep tight end group that lost Jared Cook in free agency. While he does not add much in the receiving game, he is a solid blocker that understands pass protections and run schemes well. Moreau won’t be expected to be the Raiders number one tight end, but will rather be a second or third option that can block at a high level. But what Jon Gruden really needed was a pass catching tight end to replace Cook, and Moreau is not that guy.

Grade: C

Ryan Lipton

Moreau had just 22 receptions and two touchdowns last season so he won’t be expected to replace Jared Cook in the slightest. However, he was not utilized well at LSU so he hasn’t gotten great opportunities to prove himself as a receiver despite his impressive athleticism. On the blocking side, he should make an immediate impact. He has had the most pass blocking snaps out of any tight end since 2017 in college football according to PFF.

Grade: B

Marcus Krause

There is no doubt the Raiders needed another option at TE after letting Jared Cook leave in free agency, but I am not sold on Foster Moreau being the right guy to add to the mix. They already have a solid blocking tight end in Lee Smith, adding another primarily blocking tight end instead of a receiving option doesn’t make the most sense to me. He is a big guy with pretty solid athletic ability, but the only true receiving option the Raiders have at the position is Darren Waller with very little experience. There were better options available at multiple positions of need, I do not like adding another blocking TE in the 4th round.

Grade: C

Levi Damien

First and foremost, the Raiders waited way too long to address tight end. By this point, the pickings are slim. Moreau doesn’t have a lot of production (22 catches), though he had fairly good catch numbers in his limited targets (27). He had just one drop and averaged 12.4 yards per catch. He doesn’t look like the answer to the Raiders glaring need at tight end. I guess Darren Waller really is going to have a big opportunity.

Grade: C+