The Player
It's somewhat hard to believe that Seth Roberts is even in the NFL. After being ignored in the college recruiting process, he latched on at Pearl River Community College, where his statistics were never really that great.
Yet he eventually transferred to West Alabama, where -- despite a run-heavy offense that blew out most of their opponents (thus making little use of receivers) -- he did enough to earn an undrafted free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders. In his final year of school, he had just 38 catches for 799 yards and 11 touchdowns.
His obscurity had nothing to do with his size or athleticism, which certainly draw NFL comparisons:
| Name | Hght | Wght | 40 yd | 10 yd | Vert | Broad | 3Cone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Simpson | 6' 2" | 199 | 4.42 | 1.47 | 37½" | 136" | 7.08 |
| Seth Roberts | 6' 2" | 196 | 4.44 | 1.52 | 34" | 117" | 6.77 |
| Torry Holt | 6' 1" | 192 | 4.44 | 1.57 | 37" | 118" | |
| Jeremy Maclin | 6' 1" | 198 | 4.45 | 1.58 | 35½" | 120" | 7.06 |
| Reggie Wayne | 6' 1" | 198 | 4.45 | 36" | |||
| Marvin Jones | 6' 2" | 199 | 4.46 | 1.57 | 33" | 112" | 6.81 |
| Allen Hurns | 6' 1" | 198 | 4.55 | 1.57 | 31" | 120" | 7.23 |
Think of Roberts like a less refined Torry Holt or a fast version of Allen Hurns, at least stylistically. While I certainly don't expect him to achieve to the same degree, he plays the game with a similar control and possesses a similar skill set. He just is much more raw in his development at this stage of his career.
But after spending the 2014 season on the Raiders' practice squad, Roberts took advantage of his first real opportunity in 2015, catching 32 passes for 480 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was a great start for a guy who was just hoping to make the team, and Oakland certainly has big plans for him in 2016.
The Opportunity
The sample size is small, but Seth Roberts had a fantastic year operating as the third target in this up-and-coming Raiders offense. His Reception DeSean Jackson (0.84) and Torrey Smith (0.86) on a similar amount of targets.
While Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper are locked in as the top targets in this offense, injury and/or overall volume will allow Roberts to be relevant and potential an impact player in 2016. Derek Carr improved dramatically from his rookie year to last year, and if that growth continues, look for the weapons around him to continue to benefit.
Crabtree's contract certainly would indicate that Roberts won't have access to the secondary role next to Cooper, but in the event of an injury, he is a guy certainly worth monitoring and even rostering in deeper leagues. There is also the possibility that Roberts will develop in a way that makes him a superior option to the less explosive Crabtree, although that isn't likely to happen in 2016.
Still, Roberts has climbed uphill to get to this point in his career, and we certainly shouldn't write him off anytime soon.