The Raiders already have three tight ends locked and loaded with roles on their depth chart after the free agent signing of Jared Cook.
Lee Smith will be back after last season’s Week 4 ankle injury and the Raiders will be thrilled to have one of the better blocking tight ends in the league on the field. And it remains too early to give up on 2015 third-round pick Clive Walford, who needs to add consistency and better health to a solid skill set.
Without Cook, getting another tight end in this draft — considered to be talent-rich at the position — would’ve been automatic.