Raiders Make Decision on High Draft Pick After Prolonged Contract Dispute

This year, second-round picks have taken their time signing contracts. However, that finally changed when the San Francisco 49ers agreed to a deal with defensive lineman Alfred Collins.

Many second-round pick holdouts have quickly signed their contracts following the Collins deal. The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t been able to come to terms with second-round pick wide receiver Jack Bech. He was the only player in the team’s class who remained unsigned.

Luckily, that finally changed with less than a week before rookies report for training camp. According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Bech has reached an agreement with the Raiders.

It remains to be seen what exactly his deal looks like, but it will be for four years. Despite being the second player the Raiders drafted this year, fourth-round wide receiver Dont’e Thornton has been getting more hype this offseason due to his size and speed.

That said, Bech should be more of an impact player this year. It’s good news that the Raiders were able to look him down. The team’s wide receiver room is very young, with Jakobi Meyers being the only proven veteran. Bech was a productive college player who should have a big role in the offense as a rookie.

Can Bech Be a Star for Raiders?

Bech is a thick player who is built more like a tight end, but he’s too short to play that position. He didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, so it’s hard to know how fast he is.

He’ll likely be playing in the slot for the Raiders this season. Meyers also does his best work in the slot, but he’s the team’s best overall wide receiver, so they’ll use him in a number of ways.

Despite Bech’s lack of elite athletic traits, Fox Sports’ Rob Rang believes that he could be a future franchise star for Las Vegas.

“It might take Bech a bit to develop a rapport with Geno Smith, as the latter typically likes to wait until his receivers are open before throwing it to them,” Rang wrote. “Bech lacks the elite suddenness to leave cornerbacks flailing and ‘always be open,’ but he plays big and has excellent body control, consistently winning on 50-50 balls. The (Raiders) have been searching for a true No. 1 for decades and Bech has the ball skills and mentality to win big in Vegas.”

Raiders 25th-Ranked WR Corps by PFF

The Raiders’ wide receiver corps has some intriguing talent, but they have a lot to prove. Pro Football Focus isn’t very high on the group heading into the 2025 season. They have the Raiders’ wide receivers ranked 25th in the NFL.

“Even if the outlook is just ‘Brock Bowers,’ that is good enough to be ahead of a handful of other receiving corps. Bowers was sensational as a rookie, leading all tight ends with 1,194 receiving yards while recording the third-highest PFF receiving grade at the position (88.4),” Trevor Sikkema wrote.

“But to say the Raiders’ passing attack is just Bowers downplays the impact of Jakobi Meyers, who earned a 70.0-plus PFF receiving grade for the fifth straight season in 2024. Rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton should also add to the group.”