The Raiders may have found something real in Malik Benson, and ESPN’s Thursday night broadcast made that harder to ignore.
On a night when Benson had two drops against the Texans, Joe Buck still slipped in a notable piece of commentary about where the rookie wideout stands inside the building. After Benson let a short pass get away on third down, Buck pointed out that both Fernando Mendoza and Klint Kubiak believe the sixth-round pick could grow into a true top option.
“Malik Benson. That had first down written all over it,” Buck said on the Thursday night broadcast after a Benson dropped a short pass on third down.
“And Benson, who both [Fernando] Mendoza and [Klint] Kubiak said could be a no. 1 in this league dropped it.”
That’s a strong vote of confidence for a player most outsiders didn’t expect to stick around this soon. When the Raiders took Benson in the sixth round of April’s draft, there wasn’t much chatter that he’d be on the 53-man roster as a rookie. Now, after standing out in OTAs and carrying that momentum into training camp, he looks like a safe bet to make the team.
The buzz around Benson has only grown over the past two weeks, especially with the way he’s meshed with Mendoza. Raider Nation Radio’s Q Myers said the connection is moving fast, and that Benson has become the quarterback’s go-to target.
“As much as I talk about Brock Bowers is always open, I’m never surprised when I see a Fernando Mendoza to Malik Benson pass. I’m never surprised anymore. That just looks like a connection and a chemistry that is really, really building very quickly, and you saw Benson on Sunday working with the 1s and the 2s,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast last week.
That fits with the early training-camp reporting on Benson. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden wrote at the start of camp that the Raiders drafted him because they believed he could stretch the field and create explosive plays.
“[Benson] showcased that ability throughout OTAs and minicamp. He and quarterback Fernando Mendoza developed a strong connection during practices.
Benson was Mendoza’s go-to target during team drills, especially in the middle of the field. The competition at wide receiver is pretty much wide open, meaning Benson has a chance to create a role for himself in Year 1 if his production continues during training camp.”
And it has continued. From the outside, Benson appears to have climbed ahead of last year’s preseason standout, Dont’e Thornton Jr., on the depth chart. Thornton has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since before the Raiders’ first preseason game, and his spot could be in danger if he can’t get back on the field soon.
If that doesn’t happen, the Raiders could also decide to put Thornton on injured reserve and revisit things next year.
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