Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker is on pace for a career-best 1,151 receiving yards this season, leading the team in the category through the early going. The fourth-year pro out of Cincinnati has also emerged as a fourth-quarter weapon, ranking 11th in the NFL with 168 receiving yards in the final period and tying for the league lead with three touchdown catches in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Klint Kubiak calls Tucker the "best-conditioned athlete" he has ever been around, a trait the 5-foot-9, 182-pound receiver has cultivated since high school. At Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, former coach Dan Larlham recalled Tucker waving off fatigue to run third-down sweeps after sprinting deep routes on the previous play. "He always nodded yes" when asked if he could carry the load, Larlham said.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins noted that Tucker has expanded his route tree beyond typical "fast guy" responsibilities. "There's nothing wrong with having Tre do those things too and wear different hats. He's shown he can do a lot," Cousins said. Strength coach Brady Collins, who worked with Tucker at Cincinnati, described him as a "pitbull" in the weight room who never cheats a rep.
Tucker credits his background in track and wrestling for his aerobic base and finishing fortitude. A state champion in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and long jump in Ohio, he said wrestling taught him the value of outlasting an opponent in the third period — a lesson that translates directly to the fourth quarter on the football field. "You can see it," Tucker explained. "You're killing him all day and you're still doing it in the fourth quarter."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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