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Raiders Film Room: Rookie offensive players in their preseason debut

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Los Angeles Rams v Oakland Raiders Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images

After preseason week 1, the Raiders defensive rookies got the first Raider Film Room treatment. Today it’s the rookies on offense who will get reviewed. The offense sputtered at times without Derek Carr and the starting offensive line. There were some great plays made by veterans like JJ Nelson, Ryan Grant, and DeAndre Washington which is what they should do as veterans going up against mostly the Rams backups and young players.

The rookies on offense didn’t make as big of an impact as the rookies on defense but they gained valuable game reps that will aid in their development. Not all of these rookies are a lock to make the final roster however, lets see how they performed against the Rams.

Hunter Renfrow

Renfrow only had one target that went for an incompletion in tight coverage. Renfrow truthers fret not; reports from practice indicate that he has been taking most of his reps with the first team offense and he might not have the same rapport with Glennon or Peterman. This incompletion however against Rams rookie Taylor Rapp shows the area where Renfrow has the most questions surrounding his game; the ability to make tough catches in physical coverage.

There were a few instances however where Renfrow was wide open but the ball didn’t come his way. Renfrow sits in the soft area against cover 6 (weak safety roll) but Glennon goes to his primary read towards the passing strength and never sees him on what could have been an easy first down.

Renfrow’s production didn’t excite but his effort can’t be questioned. Here he is in a tight split blocking down on an edge defender on a run play. Who does this guy think he is? Anyway he does enough here to spring the runner free to get one on one against the cornerback. Football fans regardless of their allegiance must respect Renfrow’s willingness to mix it up on this play.

Foster Moreau

Moreau came into the Raiders as a project. A guy who got very little targets in college but performed near the top of every combine test for Tight Ends at the combine. His athleticism could be a plus for the Raiders offense as an inline tight end who can run down the seam. He makes his only catch of the game on this “Y-Cross” but he is unable to convert it into a first down.

Moreau has been frequently named as a strong run blocker but his college film showed more missed blocks than anything. He’s still a work in progress in this area. On this outside zone play he does a good job latching onto the edge player and initially driving his man outside. He is unable to finish the block however and the defender disengages and gets in on the tackle. This will get only more difficult when he goes against starters during the regular season.

Alec Ingold

Undfrafted free agent fullback Alec Ingold was a safety valve for both quarterbacks throughout the game. His chops as a receiver might come as a surprise to some but being the only fullback invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Spring suggests his athleticism and ball skills are better than your average undrafted fullback. He hauled in 4 catches during his first NFL game action. Gotta love the way he fights for extra yards at the end of this catch.

Ingold isn’t a lock to make the final roster ahead of incumbent FB Keith Smith who returns to practice this week after missing time due to a training injury. While Ingold might immediately look better as a pass catcher than Smith, his work as a lead blocker left something to be desired last Saturday. Here he is one-on-one against a defender in the hole. He hits the defender with his weight too far forward and sticks his feet in the ground instead of driving through contact. In the NFL making a block requires near perfect technique and Ingold is way off at this point.

Keelan Doss

Alameda native Keelan Doss gained a lot of buzz amongst followers of the NFL draft due to his dominance at UC Davis and his advanced route running. Ultimately he went undrafted likely because he played against a lower level of competition. Doss made some great plays in this game including the only Raiders receiving touchdown.

He uses an outside jab step to make the CB jump outside and honor the threat of the goal-line fade before breaking inside on a quick slant for a TD. His concentration to shield the defender from the ball and look in the catch into his hands are great for him to put on film in what will be a tough fight for the final receiver spot on the roster.

Doss also had this first down reception off a play action pass. He is essentially schemed open here but does a good job selling the run and forcing a tough read for number 31 who can’t get to him before he makes the first down.

Other players not mentioned

Undrafted offensive linemen Lester Cotton Sr., Andre James, and Tyler Roemer also got plenty of game action. Until the All-22 is released its difficult to tell exactly how well they did or didn’t do. The TV copy of the game doesn’t show much to get excited about for these players however. They might have to hope they latch onto the practice squad after final cuts come later this month.