WR Ramel Keyton has applied for the Las Vegas Raiders squad at the last minute
For several Las Vegas Raiders, Friday night’s season finale was crucial to their final impression before the club narrows down its 53-man roster.
Undrafted wide receiver Ramel Keyton was one of the players who made the most of this opportunity.
Keyton was the Raiders’ leading pass receiver with 76 yards on just four catches, including his 54-yard rush on the Raiders’ tying drive in the final period.
“I mean, damn, we threw the ball a lot,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce told reporters Saturday. “He (Keyton) had eight targets. But no, it was really good to see because if you remember last week, he threw a ball out of his fingertips and didn’t quite make it. And he made some really, really difficult catches last night. Maybe not the best ball placement that we would have liked, but 2-minute practice, I mean, he showed up and he was active. And you really felt him.
“And he’s a very talented player, and I think he’s still trying to find his way in the pro game. And I think it was good for him to go out there last night and really show that in a critical situation in the game so we could either tie it or win it, and obviously we kicked a field goal. But I think he’s a guy we had our eye on early on, especially in the offseason program. And some other guys have kind of stepped up, and you forget about them a little bit because he’s not making one or two plays here. And then we asked those guys last night to really step up and make it tough for us over the next 48 hours.”
Keyton did just that.
The Tennessee product was one of the best wide receivers undrafted last spring and was a full-time starter in the final two of his five seasons with the Volunteers.
Last year, Keyton led the team with six touchdown receptions, 10th most in the SEC. He finished his last season with 642 yards on 35 receptions. His 18.3 yards per catch was third in the conference.
