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Oakland lost Brandon Myers to the New York Giants in free agency, and their current tight ends combined for a measly nine catches in 2012. The Raiders took tight ends Nick Kasa and Mychal Rivera in the sixth round, but neither are great players, and neither will make a huge difference.

David Ausberry caught seven passes in 2012, and he is Oakland's leading tight end in terms of 2012 production.

Rivera is a speedy tight end who caught one pass or more in his last 18 games, but he isn't going to be a star. He caught 36 passes in 2012 and was able to put up solid numbers, although some attention was deflected away from him due to Tennessee's dominant wide receiver tandem of Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson taking up defenders.

Kasa wasn't as productive as Rivera, but he still averaged 15.6 yards per catch. Both of these guys can make an impact, but they won't be as productive as some of the draft's top tight ends. Obtaining Tyler Eifert wouldn't have been a great move due to lots of other needs to be fulfilled in the first round, but adding a tight end in the second or third round wouldn't have been a bad move at all.

The tight end is becoming an extremely important position, especially for a team that needs to support Matt Flynn with playmakers. Flynn lit up two below-average defenses during his two starts in 2010 and 2011, throwing nine touchdowns and two interceptions during those games. However, he had talented receivers to make plays for him there.

And in Oakland, Flynn doesn't have that.

Oakland had lots of holes to fill, but it needs to realize that Flynn (assuming he wins the starting job) won't be effective without playmakers. Flynn torched the 23rd-ranked Lions defense in 2011 and the 25th-ranked Patriots defense in 2010, but he's going to face good defenses too. The Raiders already don't have great pass-catchers, and they failed to add one by avoiding the tight end position.

Tight ends are becoming primary targets for quarterbacks, and if Flynn developed good chemistry with a solid tight end, it could pay dividends. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Flynn won't have the luxury of a security blanket.