Evaluating Raiders WR Tre Tucker's Preseason

How did Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Tre Tucker perform this preseason, and what does it mean for his role during the regular season?

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Tre Tucker had the opportunity to experience his first NFL game action during the preseason.

Tucker, a third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati, totaled five catches for 92 yards, plus two rushes for five yards.

Preseason statistics are not always indicative of how a player performed, especially because the games are vastly different from the regular season, and many players who play a significant amount of snaps are either rookies or players fighting for roster spots.

So, let’s take a closer look at how Tucker performed in each preseason game, and see what he did well and what he needs to improve on.

Against the San Francisco 49ers, Tucker had one catch for 15 yards on a third down that also was rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s first NFL completion. He could have had more, but dropped two passes that he should have caught. Tucker also had a nice kick return that went for 25 yards.

Even on one of his drops -- the play was overturned after review -- Tucker showed off the blazing speed and athleticism that made him so enticing to the Raiders during the draft.

More of that speed was on display against the Los Angeles Rams, which was arguably Tucker’s best preseason performance. He caught three passes for 66 yards, including one pass for 40 yards in which he created immense separation from his defender.

Before that, however, Tucker had his defender beaten before the end of the second half, but dropped the pass in the end zone that would have been a touchdown. Drops were an issue for Tucker throughout the preseason.

Tucker had only one catch for 11 yards against the Dallas Cowboys, getting open on a nice route near the end of the half. This game got away from the Raiders, and Tucker only finished with two targets in the game.

Tucker had a few drops throughout the preseason, but he did not drop many passes at Cincinnati, so it was uncharacteristic of him. Tucker’s incredible speed and ability to play on special teams were encouraging.

Overall, Tucker looked as expected during the preseason. The speed was real, and it is not uncommon for rookie wide receivers to drop passes early on, so the drops might not be anything to be concerned about.

If Tucker can hold onto the football, he will be a tremendous depth piece at wide receiver and an important contributor on special teams.

The Silver and Black open the regular season at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT.

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