Last season the Raiders didn’t get much from their rookie class. That won’t be acceptable from that class as they head into year two.
In some ways it starts with seventh overall pick Tyree Wilson, who was considered a raw high ceiling type of prospect whose development was slowed by an injury last offseason.
Luckily the Raiders had Malcolm Koonce emerge the latter half of last season, giving them two quality edge rushers along with Maxx Crosby. But if Tyree could get up to speed this season and start showing his immense potential, the team could have a dangerous rotation that would be hard to stop.
Wilson understands the importance of him and his draft classmates taking the leap this season.
“We’re not rookies any more,” said Wilson. “We had a little [leeway] last year, but this year people are counting on us, the whole team is counting on us, so we have to come up to the plate and be role players on the team.”
Thus far, there has been little indication Wilson has taken that leap. He has always had all the physical ability to be special, but lacked the technique to go with it. This offseason he attended the sack summit hosted by teammate Maxx Crosby along with several other former All Pro edge rushers. He also, of course, has the benefit of seeing Crosby every day. He is also fully healthy with a full offseason of practices.
Next would be 35th overall pick, TE Michael Mayer.
No player chosen by the Raiders last season was expected to more of an immediate impact than him. And yet, that too didn’t materialize.
Even with the team making Brock Bowers their selection at 13 overall in this year’s draft, Mayer is expected to have a good sized role as the tight ends on this team will take on multiple duties.
“Our team’s gonna need us,” said Mayer. “That’s why this organization drafted us last year. To play ball, to do it to the best of our ability to help this team win games. . . We learned a lot last year, we all did. And now it’s time to come back and refocus, re-energize ourselves and get ready to play ball for a new year. Year two is obviously a big jump. And I think we’re all going to take big jumps.”
Mayer added that he’s had to work hard on his in-line blocking because it’s not something he has had to do up to this point. That illustrates one of the added duties for the tight ends as the team could conceivably feature two tight ends on the field a majority of the snaps. Perhaps with one on the line and another either in the backfield or in the slot.
The third round last year had the Raiders take both DT Byron Young and WR Tre Tucker.
Young barely saw the field last season. He was active for just six games, seeing a combined 99 snaps and recording just four tackles. This year, he is seen as the next man up at the nose tackle spot. In fact, twice this camp, John Jenkins didn’t practice and it was Young who got reps with the first team defense alongside Christian Wilkins.
Tucker struggled mightily the first part of last season with his hands. He came in touted for his great speed. That’s great, but speed is only a factor after the ball is in your hands.
He showed progress late in the season and his teammates have been raving about how much better he looks catching the ball this offseason. The thing is, it hasn’t shown up in camp. For all of his speed, he has not shown the ability to get open and separate. He is often blanketed in coverage, whether it’s on short or deep routes.
Unlike the three players drafted ahead of him, there is no other player who he is trying to beat out or with whom he will rotate. The Raiders had signed Michael Gallup this offseason, but injury forced his retirement just ahead of camp.
“It’s always going to be a competition,” said Tucker. “It’s my job to lose, you know. I’m going to take that approach, and whoever we bring in, and whoever we get, I’m just going to keep my head down and keep working.”
As the presumptive starting slot receiver on this team, Tucker needs to get open and beat corners to the ball. And we haven’t seen, really, any of that in camp, so that obviously needs to change.
One of the corners who has had some sticky coverage on Tucker is draft classmate Jakorian Bennett. Up until recently Bennett had been in a competition with veteran Brandon Facyson for the starting outside cornerback spot opposite Jack Jones.
Facyson has been missing from camp the past few days, leaving the first team duties to Bennett solely.
This is what happened last year as well, when Facyson was injured and lost for the season, and Bennett was asked to start right away. It proved to be too much to ask of the rookie and his struggles had him pulled after four starts. He feels like he’s in a much better place now than he was then and took some lessons from it.
“Just trust my journey,” said Bennett. “Just be where my feet are and don’t compare myself to anybody else. Because my journey’s my journey. I’m gonna go through things that people probably haven’t been through and so I’m just going to continue to learn from those things and just keep stacking days.”
Through the offseason practices and camp, Bennett has looked very good. He’s picked off quite a few balls. In fact, I believe, if I had been keeping stats, he has had the most interceptions among the Raiders cornerbacks in offseason practices.
Fellow cornerback Nate Hobbs, on several instances, has rebuffed the notion that Bennett ever lacked in confidence.
“He’s a great player,” Hobbs said of Bennett. “Young, but he has a drive that you don’t see in people today. Great player, great man also. I feel like he’s going to be very pivotal for us.”
And then, of course, there’s Aidan O’Connell.
The fourth round rookie was thrust into a starting role amid the turmoil the Raiders had last season. He has been battling with newcomer Gardner Minshew this offseason. As recent as a few days ago, head coach Antonio Pierce was still waiting for either of them to distinguish themselves as the team’s starter.
“I’d like to see…somebody to take it and say ‘I’m the guy, AP,” Pierce said of the QB competition. “And make it clear, and evident and we’ll make that decision at that point.”
Through much of the offseason, O’Connell has taken the bulk of the first team reps, though, in the team’s most recent camp practice, Minshew earned equal first team reps. It’s possible that Minshew is pulling ahead in that race by virtue of his ability to run the offense.
O’Connell, on the other hand, has arm strength Minshew simply does not possess. The occasional well placed deep ball reminds us of that. The coaches would need to see it more than just occasionally for him to make the statement that he is the guy. But as of now, he’s still in the mix, which is more than most can expect from a player taken at 135 overall.
If this class steps up to the plate as the team hopes, there could be as many as four starters and two valuable ‘next man up’ rotation players. That would be significant to say the least.