Category: Latest Raiders News

5 interesting facts about Raiders Round 6 RB Dylan Laube

We get to know RB Dylan Laube with 5 interesting facts about the Raiders Round 6 rookie

First off, his last name is pronounced like Loud Bee, but without the d in the middle. He grew up in rural New York State and stayed in the Northeast for college at New Hampshire. And you can hear that accent come through.

The Raiders used the 208th pick in the sixth round on him with the hopes the he can be a solid receiving back while contributing on special teams. Here’s a few things to know about the Raiders newest running back.

  1. Early hero

He began playing football at the age of five along with his older brother. Their dad was their coach. The name of the team was the Buccaneers and Laube’s favorite player, and who he emulated was Bucs star Mike ‘you’re in good hands with’ Alstott. He even wore the number 40 and sported a neck roll until his junior year in high school.

  1. All sport star

Laube played multiple sports throughout childhood, including baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer and wrestling. A no-star recruit, Laube wasn’t ranked by recruiting services and actually received better offers to play college lacrosse. But football was his first love and so he stuck with it until he got his offer from New Hampshire. Wise decision it would seem.

  1. NFL comps

Laube didn’t grow up to have a Mike Alstott frame. He fell short by about three inches and 40 pounds. So, in today’s NFL, he models his game after a different kind of back.

“I can say Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Alvin Kamara,” Laube said of the players he emulates.

Ekeler in particular was signed by the Chargers by Tom Telesco, now the GM for the Raiders. Telesco sees his role being similar to the all-around back Ekeler was for the Chargers along with Danny Woodhead.

  1. Scoring machine

Opponents simply could not keep Laube out of the end zone. He had 19 touchdowns in 2022 — 15 rushing, two receiving, one kick return, and one punt return. Last season he had 18 TD’s – 9 rushing, 7 receiving, one kick return, and one punt return. That’s right, he had punt and kick return touchdowns in each of the past two seasons.

  1. Special teams demon

If the return touchdowns weren’t enough proof of that, I asked Laube what part of his game he took the most pride in and he knew where his bread will be buttered at the NFL.

“I think special teams is, if not the most important, the most underrated thing in a football game,” said Laube.

“I feel like is what separates me from every running back in this class. And I think me being able to do a bunch of different stuff like kick return, punt return, gunner, jammer. I think I’m able to do so many different things.”

To which Tom Telesco said “smart kid”

“He knows this is how l have to make the team,” Telesco continued. “He’s going to have to do a lot of dirty work on special teams, but also, he does some returns, which is big. And especially with us trying to maneuver this new kickoff rule.”

Raiders sign former Chargers WR Jalen Guyton

Raiders sign former Chargers WR Jalen Guyton

Raiders GM Tom Telesco has brought a familiar face onboard in Las Vegas. Jalen Guyton, who played with the Chargers the past five seasons has been signed on in Las Vegas.

After not taking a wide receiver in last month’s draft, the Raiders have now signed two free agent wide receivers in the past week. Last Week they added former Cowboys WR Michael Gallup.

Adding some wide receiver help was crucial as they were woefully thin at the position. They had starters Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers along with second year man Tre Tucker and not a whole lot else. Giving both Guyton and Gallop a decent chance of cracking the roster.

Guyton’s best seasons came in 2020-21 when he put up a combined 59 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns with 11 starts.

The last two seasons, however, he’s had just 12 combined catches for 153 yards and one touchdown. So, obviously, he will be hoping to revive his career with in Las Vegas.

ESPN analyst calls Brock Bowers pick the worst selection in Round 1

ESPN analyst calls Brock Bowers pick the worst selection in Round 1

Most people have gotten behind the Raiders’ selection of Brock Bowers. While it was a bit puzzling at the time, Bowers was one of the best players in the draft and clearly the top available player when the Raiders were on the clock.

But not everyone liked the pick. In a recent ESPN article, a handful of NFL analysts were asked what the worst selection of Round 1 was.

Surprisingly enough, Liz Loza (fantasy expert and betting analyst) believes that the pick of Brock Bowers by the Raiders was the worst pick of Round 1. Here is her explanation of why she believes this was the wrong move:

I was stupefied by the Raiders’ selection of Bowers, and it’s not because of his talent level. He’s a potential generational talent with a do-it-all skill set who was expected to come off the board before the first half of the first round.

However, Las Vegas spent an early second-round pick on Michael Mayer just a year ago and entered the draft with holes all along the offensive line. In the end, I suppose, the value Bowers presented was too great to pass on.

The Raiders have gotten themselves into a lot of trouble over the last few years when they reached for need rather than selecting the best player available. That is how picks like Clelin Ferrell, Jonathan Abram, and Alex Leatherwood happen.

Did the Raiders have a big need at tight end? No. But Bowers was far and away the best player on the board. And that is a draft strategy that is easy to get behind. Look for the Raiders to find ways for both Bowers and Mayer to be on the field a lot during the 2024 season.

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Raiders in talks to hold 2024 training camp in Southern California

Raiders in talks to hold 2024 training camp in Southern California

For years the Raiders held their training camp in Napa in Norther California. But since the Raiders arrived in Las Vegas for the 2020 season, they have held training camp at their facility in Henderson, facing daily temps that often surpassed 110 degrees. As of this year, they could be sending camp back to California.

The City of Costa Mesa has announced that they are in discussions with the Raiders to hold this year’s training camp at their Jack Hammett Sports Complex.

The proposed agreement would have the Raiders paying the city $165K in rent along with providing $600K for field upgrades. And the Raiders have committed to holding public practices.

The City Council will discuss the plans on Tuesday, May 7. but the City Manager and Mayor both sound very confident it’s happening.

“Costa Mesa is proud to be one of only two cities in the country to host an NFL team’s summer training camp in a publicly owned facility,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said. “Jack Hammett is a treasure and we are excited to potentially have a new NFL team training here.”

Mayor John Stephens agreed.

“I’m pleased to welcome the Las Vegas Raiders and their loyal fans, ‘Raider Nation’ to the great city of Costa Mesa for training camp this summer,” Mayor Stephens said. “The Raiders and Costa Mesa share a commitment to excellence, and our partnership will greatly benefit the community. Many thanks to Newport-Mesa School District, especially Costa Mesa High School, for collaborating with us in this endeavor. To quote Al Davis, ‘Just win, baby!’”

The upgrades would be to fields three and four with camp taking place from mid-July through August.

5 interesting facts about Raiders Round 5 LB Tommy Eichenberg

We get to know Raiders Round 5 rookie LB Tommy Eichenberg

At pick 148 in the fifth round of this year’s draft, the Raiders selected Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. He joins the Raiders after two seasons as a full time starter for the Buckeyes.

1. Family of athletes

Like Raiders top pick, Brock Bowers, Eichenberg comes from a famly of athletes. Unlike Bowers, Eichenberg had an answer to the question of who in the family was the most athletic. “I’d have to go with myself,” he said.

That’s a lofty title considering his older brother Liam starred at offensive tackle at Notre Dame and was a second round pick (42 overall) by the Dolphins three years ago. His father, Gregg, played college basketball at John Carroll, helping the program to a 20-4 season in 1987-88. His uncle (Shawn Finnan), who also played at St. Ignatius, was a defensive tackle at Marshall (1984-88). 

2. Buckeye dreams

Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Eichenberg loved Ohio State. His mother, a high school intervention specialist, asks her students to make a note of one or two goals every quarter. She had her children do the same thing.

Tommy wrote his goals on his bedroom wall. One of which was to play college ball at Ohio State. As a high school linebacker he idolized Buckeye legends like James Laurinitis and AJ Hawk. As a junior, Eichenberg was ready to commit to Boston College, but he reopened his recruitment as a senior and when Ohio State came calling, he jumped at the chance. 

3. Multi-sport star

In high school Eichenberg also lettered in basketball, wrestling, and track. He won the state championship in the shot put.

4. Full speed, full time

“He had that one gear,” Ignatius High School coach Chuck Kyle said of Eichenberg. “Whether it was a game or practice, here he comes, and it’s like, ‘Tommy, not this drill. Settle down a little bit.’ But that’s who he was. It’s that tunnel vision. It’s time to play.”

This sounds exactly like Maxx Crosby. So, you can see why the Raiders picked him, figuring his mindset would fit right in.

5. Rivalry continued

There are few more bitter rivalries in college football than that of Ohio State vs Michigan. There was a stretch there where Ohio State won the Big Ten title every year (2017-20). But it has been Michigan every year since then, including winning the natty last year.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh went out on top, taking the Chargers’ head coaching gig this offseason. A couple months later, Eichenberg is selected by the Raiders, thus becoming a rival once again. Said Eichenberg of facing a Harbaugh coached team twice a season “I’m excited for that.” The helmet colors are even the same (silver vs blue/yellow).

5 interesting facts about Raiders Round 4 CB Decamerion Richardson

Getting to know the Raiders rooks with 5 interesting facts about CB Decamerion Richardson

What we know about Decamerion is the Raiders selected him at pick 112 in the fourth round because of his raw athletic abilities. He’s got great length (6-2) and speed (4.34 40). From there, they hope they can develop his talents.

But these purposes, let’s learn a bit more about him.

  1. He’s country

Calls himself an “Original Cowboy” and “Kountry Boy”. He Grew up in the small town of Minden Louisiana, where he spent most of his youth either playing sports, fishing or riding horses.

  1. NFL bloodlines

He is a cousin of former Buccaneers LB Devin White who grew up in the same area and with whom he shares a love of horseback riding.

  1. All-around athlete

As a High School senior, along with playing defensive back, he also earned All-State honors at running back with 1,206 rushing yards (8.9 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns, adding 199 receiving yards.At the 2019 state championships, Richardson finished second in the 100 meters (school record 10.75 seconds), third in the 200 meters (21.63) and second in the high jump (6 feet, 0 inches). Next Gen stats gave him an 88 score for athleticism which is the highest of any cornerback in this class.

  1. New Raiders coaching connection

New Raiders QB Gardner Minshew played under Mike Leach at Washington State in 2018. A year later, Leach took over as head coach at Mississippi State and the No. 5 recruit in his first recruiting class was Decamerion Richardson. Richardson played three seasons under Leach until the late great head coach passed away in 2022.

  1. Trial by fire

Got his first start in the 2021 Liberty Bowl vs Texas Tech. He had four tackles and was burnt for a 52-yard catch to the one-yard-line.Texas Tech scored on the next play. But other than that one broken play, Richardson held up well, and would go on to 28 straight starts for the Bulldogs and lead all SEC cornerbacks in tackles both his junior (85) and senior seasons (79) and leading his team in pass breakups (7) as a senior. Though he has zero career interceptions.

Raiders OL Andrew Coker named UDFA to watch after 2024 NFL Draft

Raiders OL Andrew Coker named UDFA to watch after 2024 NFL Draft

Just because the NFL Draft is over doesn’t mean that player acquisition stops. The Raiders have had a lot of success with undrafted free agents over the last few years, including Andre James, who just signed his third contract with the team.

But what undrafted free agent from the 2024 class could wind up making an impact for the Raiders this season? In a recent article by The Athletic, they named one undrafted free agent signing for each team that is worth watching this offseason.

For the Raiders, that was none other than TCU offensive tackle Andrew Coker. Here is what the site had to say about Coker and his fit with Las Vegas:

Coker is big and experienced, having made 46 career starts at tackle, including all 15 during TCU’s FBS runner-up season in 2022. With a massive frame (6-7, 315) and 34-inch arms, Coker should compete for a reserve spot. The Raiders had a few other nice UDFA pickups, including Mississippi State receiver Tulu Griffin and Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon.

One of the most appealing parts of Coker’s game is his experience. He started 41 games at right tackle at TCU and another five at left tackle. While his athleticism leaves a lot to be desired, he’s experienced and has position flexibility.

The Raiders are likely to start Thayer Munford at right tackle for the 2024 season, but Coker could be an option to back him up this season. How he performs in training camp and the preseason will determine if he can crack the 53-man roster.

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WATCH: Gardner Minshew appears on Maxx Crosby’s show and he is as advertised and more

WATCH: Gardner Minshew appears on Maxx Crosby’s show and he is THAT DUDE

Gardner Minshew just might be the most likeable guy in sports. Don’t believe me? Just watch his appearance on Maxx Crosby’s show The Rush. I defy you to not want to hang out with him. I found myself unable to stop watching this interview as he is absolute.y fascinating, genuine, and so much THAT DUDE that it’s almost beyond belief.

If you ever looked at Gardner Minshew and said “that dude looks and sounds like he lives in a van on the beach” then you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. Like LITERALLY he owns a van and lived on the beach when he played in Jacksonville. And since then he has traveled around in it, goes camping, hiking, and just generally chills in. Even though he has an actual house, he’ll just go out and sleep in his van sometimes.

And of course he loves Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused, because of course. And he seems to be an endless font of great stories, probably because fun people just want to chill with him. This interview lasted an hour, and I could have watched several more hours easily just to hear all the stories.

I loved when he was asked about people on social media saying he was a “poor man’s Baker Mayfield.” And he said doesn’t do social media, so unless someone literally came up to him in the street and said “You’re a poor man’s Baker Mayfield!” he wouldn’t hear about it. I mean, no wonder he seems so happy. Social media is pure, uncut toxicity.

Best thing though is how many times you just find yourself thinking, man that is just so wholesome. Like when he was fanboying at the thought that Lebron James would even know who he is. Keep in mind, he has started 37 games in the NFL over four seasons and went to the Pro Bowl last year. Why wouldn’t Lebron know who he is? You just gotta love that such a thing would surprise him.

Maxx Crosby is the leader of this team. And he can’t say enough good things about Gardner. No question he is going to make the already strong vibe in the Raiders locker room even stronger.

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Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell No. 4 no more, 3 others switch back to their college numbers

Three Raiders switching back to their old college numbers, Aidan O’Connell shedding No 4

More Raiders players are joining the number switching party.

QB Aidan O’Connell will now wear No. 12, switching from the No. 4 he wore as a rookie and which Derek Carr had worn for nine years in Silver & Black.

Safety Tre’von Moehrig will begin wearing No. 7 after wearing No. 25 his first two seasons with the team. Moehrig wore No. 7 in college at TCU.

Two others are getting their college numbers back. Running back Zamir White is switching to the No. 3 he wore at Georgia after wearing No. 35 his first two seasons. While his backfield mate Amir Abdullah is switching to the No. 8 he wore at Nebraska after wearing No. 22 the past two seasons with the team. He was unable to get the number last year as Josh Jacobs wore it.

O’Connell wore 13 and 16 at Purdue. Those numbers currently belong to QB Anthony Brown and WR Jakobi Meyers respectively. As it happens, both of are also wearing their college numbers.

It’s interesting seeing all the players taking advantage of the rule that allows more than just QB’s and kickers to wear single digit numbers. Players become attached to their college numbers and so it’s special for them when they get a chance to wear it again.

Raiders OL Jackson Powers-Johnson should be Day 1 starter at guard

Raiders OL Jackson Powers-Johnson should be Day 1 starter at guard

It was a little surprising to see the Raiders use their second-round pick on Jackson Powers-Johnson. Not because he wasn’t worth the selection, but because the Raiders recently re-signed Andre James this offseason and Powers Johnson’s best position is at center.

However, Powers-Johnson is expected to move to guard, which shouldn’t be a major problem for him. He has the size and power to make it work; it’ll just be a relatively new position for him.

In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they graded every single selection of the 2024 NFL Draft. Here is what they had to say about Powers-Johnson and his fit at guard in the NFL:

Powers-Johnson’s slide ends as the Raiders pick the interior offensive lineman with positional versatility. They struggled mightily at the guard positions in 2023, and current center Andre James was PFF’s ninth-highest-graded player at the position. Powers-Johnson allowed just one quarterback pressure on 481 pass-blocking snaps in 2023 and is PFF’s highest-graded college center since 2022 (91.5).

The expectation is that the Raiders will slide Powers-Johnson to right guard and Thayer Munford will start at right tackle. That would make the right side of the offensive line significantly bigger than in previous years and the hope is that they could open up some holes in the run game.

At this stage, it would be a major shock if Powers-Johnson isn’t starting on Day 1. But it’s also possible that he might not be the team’s long-term answer at guard either. They could decide to move him back to center down the road, but that is a concern for another day.

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