Raiders' Antonio Pierce on Which Two Rookies Have Been Standing Out

In the NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders chose to invest in tough, competitive players on defense. So far, two rookies have caught the eye of head coach Antonio Pierce.

Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has been making the defense a priority going forward. It is possibly the most important facet of his vision for the Raiders. Bring back physicality and punishing defense.

With that will come a certain swagger the Silver and Black have lacked in years past.

Key to Pierce's plan was the 2024 NFL Draft. Pierce knew he needed to bolster the defensive backfield. He used his fourth round pick to do so, taking toolsy Mississippi State cornerback Decamerion Richardson 112th overall.

The linebacker position was far from a weak spot for the Raiders, but Pierce selected Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg in the fifth round. Eichenberg was perhaps one of the toughest players in all of college football, and his passion and intangibles give him plenty of upside.

With training camp underway, the two rookie defensive players have been standouts. Pierce has taken notice.

"Yeah, Tommy is a silent killer, man. Tommy has slowly each and every day gotten better and better," Pierce told reporters. "And I'm going back to OTAs and minicamp, and he's come right into training camp and picked it right up. I mean, he's put himself in position to be a backup or now a guy to get some playing time for us.

"We know what he can do on special teams, but his football savviness, his anticipation, his overall leadership. And I’ll love to see when he gets pads on what I think it's going to look like, I'm excited for that. But I'm really excited about him."

Richardson, a long, physical SEC corner with 4.3 40 speed has also been eye-opening for Pierce.

"[Decamerion] is another one. He's quiet, doesn't say anything. But if you watch every rep, he's right behind Jack [Jones] or [Brandon] Facyson, or whoever it is," Pierce said. "And he's just taking a lot of mental reps. And then when he goes in, he's not making those mistakes. And I think we're doing a good job as coaches of spoon feeding him and not throwing him out there to the wolves right away, so he doesn't get burned and lose that confidence."

The pads will be donned on Tuesday, which is when players will really separate themselves from the pack. Eichenberg and Richardson could take a big step and do just that.

So far, Pierce's strategy of tough players with passion for the game and the desire to compete is looking like the correct one. Both rookies seem to have a real shot at contributing to the Silver and Black this season. Perhaps sooner rather than later.

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