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When a team drafts a receiver in the first round and another in the third round, as the Raiders did on Friday night, it has to view them as a pair. 

General manager Mike Mayock said as much after the third round was complete, when asked about first-round blur Henry Ruggs III and third-rounder Bryan Edwards, 

“I think they complement each other,” Mayock said in a conference call. “And I would throw (Nelson) Agholor in there, too, as a guy to complement the group that we’re really excited about. 

“When you look at Ruggs III, I love the fact that Jon Gruden knows how to use him and maximize what he does well. And not only can he run vertical — which, trust me, he will — but we’ll also have a bunch of manufactured touches for him. Whether they’re jet sweeps or bubble screens, just give him the ability to get the ball in space and use that speed.”

Edwards, meanwhile, is bigger (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and can win 50/50 throws with regularity. He would very likely have not been available at pick No. 81 if he wasn’t coming off a knee injury and then a broken foot in February. 

“Bryan Edwards is a different cat than Ruggs,” Mayock said. “Bryan Edwards is a guy that if you go three-by-one and put three to one side and him on the backside and let him run down the sideline and back-shoulder fade, regular fade, slants. 

“All the big-bodied throws where you think he can win. He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s got great hands.”

The Raiders scored only seven touchdowns of at least 20 yards last season, which ranked 27th in the NFL. Running back Lynn Bowden Jr., the Raiders’ pick at No. 80, had seven all by himself last season. 

Ruggs and Edwards had five each. And the three rookie receivers — especially Ruggs — will definitely open things up for running back Josh Jacobs, tight end Darren Waller and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow as well.

Most teams saw Bowden, who stepped in at quarterback for Kentucky last season, as a receiver at the next level. But not Mayock. Maybe down the road, he can help out in the slot, but that’s not the initial plan. 

Punt returner? Yes. Some special plays as a read-option quarterback … 

“Bowden Jr. is just another intriguing piece for us,” Mayock said. “We got him as a running back, but he can catch the football. We can move him all over the place. The cool thing is I think they all complement each other, and I have the ultimate confidence in Jon Gruden getting the most out of them.”

There has been a split among the Raiders fan base regarding starting quarterback Derek Carr, with his supporters saying that he didn’t have enough weapons last season after Antonio Brown combusted and Tyrell Williams injured both of his feet. 

Carr is still standing, after an offseason of looking at a viral photo of Tom Brady laughing with his owner and the usual mindless draft rumors. Marcus Mariota was signed as a backup who will push Carr — at some point.

Mayock has taken the popular excuse for Carr and turned it up a notch, saying that Gruden didn’t have enough good receivers last season. 

The Raiders scored only 14.7 points a game after starting out 6-4, crawling to a 7-9 final record when teams started bracket-covering tight end Darren Waller.

“The biggest issue is not just red zone — and we did have problems both in red zone and goal-to-go — but I think the bigger picture for Jon and I was how do we get more dynamic?,” Mayock said. “You look at our offense last year, I thought Jon did an outstanding job. 

“We were in two and three tight ends more than just about anybody in the league. Darren Waller came out of nowhere to catch 90 balls. Josh Jacobs came out of nowhere to gain 1,200 yards. I thought Jon did an outstanding job without us having significant wide receiver production.”

Mayock and Gruden talked about it a lot during the offseason, and it assuredly came up Friday night as the Raiders waited three-and-half hours before their first pick at No. 80 came up. (Mayock said they thought about trading into the second round, but decided to exercise some patience. Plus, they liked the idea of having back-to-back picks.)

“When Jon and I sat down in the offseason, it was about trying to get more dynamic,” Mayock said. “How do we get more dynamic? When you look at Ruggs III, when you look at Bowden and when you look at Bryan Edwards, we’re more dynamic. Not only on offense, but, trust me, Henry Ruggs III is a kick returner and Lynn Bowden Jr. is a punt returner. And we’re really excited about that, also.”