GM Tom Telesco's Evaluation of the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders will have to make a few additions to their roster this offseason. New GM Tom Telesco recently gave his assessment of the team.

Las Vegas Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco inherited a talented roster with many flaws, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Telesco will have his work cut out for him in his first season as the Raiders' GM.

Telesco gave his thoughts on the team's roster while at the NFL Combine.

"I think the one thing that jumped off kind of doing a deeper dive is how tough a football team it was, and I would say that on offense, defense, and the kicking game," Telesco said.

"But tough, resilient, and really committed to the process. Just watching the whole situation, how the season played out from how it started, and then your head coach is no longer there, and then how you finished it with a new head coach." 

"But a really tough-minded, mentally tough football team. So, that's what kind of came out the most. And then you're talking about both sides of the ball. Offensively, we have a lot of work to do; I think that's pretty easy to see. 

One of the biggest questions for Telesco and the Raiders this offseason will surround the quarterback position. Telesco liked what he saw from quarterback Aidan O'Connell during his rookie season. 

"I kind of liked even watching how Aidan O'Connell kind of handled the situation," Telesco said. "You're talking about a rookie, first of all, coming and playing - by the time he starts playing a lot, he no longer has his head coach; it was also the offensive coordinator, so it's a new offensive staff essentially that he's kind of working with."

Las Vegas Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco has assessed the roster he inherited and plans to implement changes.  / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

"Then we had some injuries late in the year with the left tackle and even Josh Jacobs being out, seeing how well he played late in the year. But we've got a lot of work to do on offense there. And then defensively, I think a lot of it is probably from the continuity of playing the whole year, how well they played." 

Defensively, Telesco was impressed with the job Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham did with the defense last season. 

"And what a great job Patrick Graham did with the group on a day-to-day basis, but then how they played on the field on Sundays and the mentality that they played with, which is a lot of what you see on defense," Telesco said.

"And then on special teams, we have some pretty elite guys as far as long snapper, punter, and kicker, which, believe me, is great to have. But we've got work to do on all three, but I liked what I saw, the toughness of the football team that's there."

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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