Oakland Raiders Late-Round Pick Named “Surprise Star”
Bleacher Report recently came out with their early predictions for rookie superlatives. To no ones surprise, Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was voted as the rushing yards leader. However, buried deeper in their predictions showed a selection that may not only be a surprise, but indicative on how deep the Raiders’ draft class is.
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary was voted as the league’s “surprise star.” But among the other players receiving a vote was fourth round tight end Foster Moreau.
Moreau enters the league with plenty of hype. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein credited his blocking ability heading into the draft.
Moreau is a feisty, committed run-blocking tackle with solid technique and footwork to find proper angles in-line or on the move. He’s tough enough to battle at the point of attack, but at his best when he’s a lead blocker on iso, wham blocks, and outside zone with his ability to locate and land on second-level targets. He lacks finesse as a route-runner and is too content to be covered when matched up against a linebacker. While he’s not dynamic, he should find work as a run-blocking option who can be moved around formations.
The Raiders recently released Lee Smith, who is considered one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. With Moreau now in tow, there is a chance he takes over as Oakland’s lead blocking tight end.
Despite his blocking talents, Moreau showed a bit of potential as a receiver while at LSU. Between his junior and senior season, Moreau caught 46 passes for 550 yards and five touchdowns.
Outside of his counting stats, Moreau put together a strong combine. He ran a 4.66 40-yard dash with 22 reps on the bench press. His 40 time ranked fifth among tight ends while his bench press ranked tied for second. Moreau also ranked fourth among tight ends with a 121 broad jump. Most impressive, Moreau led all tight ends in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.11.
Head Coach Jon Gruden got a good look of Moreau at the 2019 Senior Bowl. While he caught just one pass for 11 yards, he was named the best tight end at the event by Jim Nagy, the game’s coordinator. Clearly Gruden’s interest was peaked, leading to his fourth round selection.
Then there’s Moreau, who showed at LSU that he could stay in and block and do well. In fact, I don’t have a doubt he’ll be able to perform as a blocking tight end in the NFL. I also think he’ll develop as a pass-catcher. He doesn’t have great speed or quickness and isn’t going to burn many linebackers deep, but he has good hands and shows intelligence in using his body to shield defenders from the ball. He did catch 46 passes for 550 yards and 5 touchdowns the last two seasons at LSU, so it’s not like it’s a foreign concept to him. He’s not Gronk, nor will he be, but he’s going to be a steal for somebody in the middle rounds.
Following Smith’s release the Raiders’ tight end depth chart is filled with a bunch of question marks. Darren Waller has potential, but he has yet to prove it at the NFL level. Entering the league, Moreau has an opportunity to contribute immediately in Oakland.
There is no doubting that the LSU product is a great blocker. His play will be defined by how he develops as an offensive weapon. If he can add that to his tool box, then the Raiders could have found themselves a steal and “surprise star” in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.