Raiders Rookies Learning Fast as Training Camp Continues

The Las Vegas Raiders had a successful NFL Draft earlier this offseason. So far, their group of rookies' ability to learn quickly has been impressive.

Las Vegas Raiders Rookie Tight End Brock Bowers / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

By most accounts, the Las Vegas Raiders had a successful NFL Draft in General Manager Tom Telesco’s first offseason with the team. While selecting tight end Brock Bowers in the first round surprised most, his undeniable talent makes him a near certainty to be a success for the Raiders this season and beyond. 

Telesco and the Raiders selected offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson in the second round when many draft experts believed he could have been drafted in the first round. Powers-Johnson likely would have been a first-round selection had a historical amount of quarterbacks not been taken early in the draft's first round. In the third round, the Raiders selected offensive lineman DJ Glaze, who they plan to develop into a contributor over time.

With their first three draft picks, the Raiders effectively addressed their most significant need heading into this season: their offensive line. Their later picks helped solidify the depth of other positions on the roster. After spending the offseason with the rookies and as training camp gets full underway, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says he has been impressed with the intelligence levels of the rookies the Raiders drafted. Coach Pierce says while the learning curve of each rookie varies from player to player, overall, he has liked what he’s seen from the young players so far.

“I think we did a really good job with our personnel department, [Tom] Telesco, Champ [Kelly] — they all did a really good job of evaluating the guys that we drafted,” Pierce said at training camp on Tuesday. “They all had high football IQ Brock Bowers, Jackson [Powers-Johnson], DJ [Glaze], all those guys, Trey [Taylor]. All high academic guys, but more importantly, high-value guys when it came to taking football seriously. 

“The good thing about those rookies is that we brought them in a little bit earlier and gave them 48 hours to get adjusted. Some guys are a little bit further and had some good recall, and others were like, ‘Oh yeah, I need to get back in that playbook.’ That’s typical of a rookie at this time of year, but I think they understood right away that when we get on the grass tomorrow, bullets are really flying, and they’ve got to be ready to go.”

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