The Las Vegas Raiders have selected wide receiver Jack Bech with the No. 58 pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Bech was a standout receiver at TCU last season. His brother, Tiger Bech, was one of 14 people killed in a terrorist attack on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. Wearing a No. 7 jersey to honor his late brother, Bech starred in this year’s Senior Bowl, where he caught the winning touchdown and was named the game’s MVP.
“Everything I’m doing out here is just all for him and in memory of him,” Bech said the week of the Senior Bowl about his older brother, a former Princeton football player.
Bech’s draft selection is an especially significant moment, as he previously said Tiger had achieved all of his dreams except for playing in the NFL. Now, Bech is making that dream a reality for himself and Tiger, whom he calls his other half.
Bech led the Horned Frogs with 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine receiving touchdowns during the 2024 season. The Lafayette, La., native spent his first two years playing for LSU before transferring to TCU in 2023.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Bech ranked No. 72 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“A one-year starter at TCU, Bech was an outside receiver (primarily to the right of the formation) in offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ up-tempo, spread attack. As a hybrid receiver/tight end as a true freshman at LSU, he was part of a pass-catching group that included four future NFL Draft picks (Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Kayshon Boutte, Trey Palmer), yet it was Bech who led the Tigers in receptions in 2021. After the coaching change in Baton Rouge, he transferred to TCU but battled injuries in 2023 before breaking out as a senior, becoming just the fifth player in program history to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
“Although he isn’t super dynamic, Bech is a smooth, physical athlete who can get in and out of breaks with gear change and route savvy (head fakes, body lean, etc.). He is a skilled ball tracker and plays with supreme confidence in his ability to adjust, frame and finish grabs (one drop on 91 targets in 2024). Overall, Bech’s acceleration is more build-up than immediate, and he will need to prove himself versus NFL press coverage, but he is urgent as a route runner with the ball-winning skills and competitive personality that will play. He has experience both inside and outside, and his play style is reminiscent of Puka Nacua.”
Jack Bech with a walk-off TD to seal the win in the @seniorbowl 🙏
(Via @nflnetwork)
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 1, 2025
Nick Baumgardner grades the pick
The Raiders made some savvy trades, picking up extra picks and now they land one of the most underrated players in the 2025 NFL Draft. Bech is a big-time competitor, a hammer of a blocker and was the best wide receiver at the Senior Bowl this year after a highly productive season at TCU after overcoming injuries and being stuck behind Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. at LSU. He’s reminiscent of Puka Nacua.
Grade: A
How he fits
Bech played both outside and slot receiver throughout his college career. His physical traits don’t jump out at you — he’s 6-foot-1, 214 pounds and has just above average speed and athleticism — but he’s a smooth route runner, has good ball skills, has a knack for making defenders miss once the ball is in his hands and is a physical player both as a receiver and blocker. At the next level, he’ll need to do a better job of beating press coverage to be consistently productive.
Depth-chart impact
The Raiders will start Bech right away alongside Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. Bech and Meyers can both line up as slot receivers and outside receivers and will likely be used in different alignments by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The rest of the Raiders’ depth at receiver is suspect behind their lead trio, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them continue to add to this position group, whether it’s through the draft or free agency.
They also could have picked …
The most notable player who the Raiders passed on was Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Raiders want to add a developmental quarterback at some point in the draft, according to team sources, but opted to wait until later in the draft. Other prospects at positions of need who were still on the board are Mississippi cornerback Trey Amos, Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel.
Fast evaluation
Bech fills an immediate need for the Raiders and continues the effort to reinvigorate an offense that’s been stuck on a hamster wheel of mediocrity for the last few years. The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler compared Bech’s play style to Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua. If he comes anywhere close to that, then this will be a hell of a steal for the Raiders.
(Photo: Kyle Rivas / Getty Images)
