No minicamp, no problem: Raiders relying on rookies to prepare on their own

By Case Keefer (contact)

Monday, May 4, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Most of the Raiders’ coaching staff watched as Lynn Bowden Jr. aced an informal test on their offensive concepts administered on a pre-draft Zoom call.

Bowden, a do-it-all star out of Kentucky, recalled the back-and-forth with coach Jon Gruden as the moment when he started suspecting he’d wind up in Las Vegas.

“I knew it was the right fit for me,” Bowden said. “Coach Gruden shot it straight with me. He liked me. That’s what it was.”

Successful virtual meetings were a common theme cited by the seven players the Raiders picked in the NFL Draft last month, and it was no coincidence. Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock prioritized prospects’ interviews more than ever given current circumstances bred out of the coronavirus pandemic.

With social distancing efforts continuing to keep players separated from their teams indefinitely, the Raiders zeroed in on prospects they trusted to work remotely.

“We think there’s a pretty good chance we’re not going to see our rookies in person until maybe training camp,” Mayock said. “If that's the case, you better make sure your rookies are smart, hard-working and accountable.”

Under the NFL’s initial 2020-2021 season schedule, the first batch of rookie minicamps would have wrapped up Sunday with another set slated for this weekend. None of them, including one of the Raiders’ final planned events in Alameda, Calif., will happen, at least not in person.

They’re all moved online, not exactly an ideal forum for running drills and getting fitted for gear. But teams like the Raiders are hoping the other aspects of minicamp such as introducing the playbook and getting to know team personnel can transition more smoothly.

Mayock said the coaching staff would not lighten the burden on players because they’re spread all over the country and that they, “expect 100 percent attention.”

“They better be ready to hit the ground running when we’re allowed to,” Mayock said.

The NFL is still targeting mid-July for the start of training camp with rookies allowed to show up a week earlier than veterans. There’s an infamous adjustment period to get not only into football shape but professional-football shape, though the Raiders’ current crop of rookies were adamant they’d be showing up in top condition.

Las Vegas’ first pick, Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, more or less set the tone for his rookie classmates when he sounded slightly miffed about being asked if the coronavirus had impacted his training.

“I’m getting it in,” Ruggs said. “Work is work. I have to get somewhere, start all over, start fresh, so I have to be ready going in.”

Bowden similarly said he hadn’t taken any time off. After leading Kentucky to a Belk Bowl victory over Virginia Tech on New Year’s Eve as a quarterback, he immediately started picking back up wide receiver and running back drills knowing those were the positions he’d play in the NFL.

“I’ve been back in the lab,” he said. “I was never out of the lab.”

Fourth-round pick John Simpson out of Clemson said the pandemic has actually made his workout routine easier, with no distractions getting in the way of football. The guard is hunkered down in Clemson, S.C., not far from his college alma mater’s football facility where he can access specialized training equipment.

There’s also a gym next to his home that he’s been able to utilize privately.

“I do a lot of drills,” Simpson said. “I do a lot of sand work now. I'm working in the sandpit using ladders and change of directions drills, things like that…I'm also working on trying to get my hands better. I'm trying to use my hands before I make contact instead of using my helmet. Just things like that I'm trying to do every day to get better."

The Raiders would always be drawn towards that type of initiative, but it might be extra valuable this year. With a delay in getting players on site, teams can’t count solely on their own ability to get rookies to where they need to be.

Personal accountability is more important than ever.

“I think coach Gruden does a good job of weeding out the guys that aren’t about the football life,” third-round pick Tanner Muse out of Clemson said of his pre-draft Zoom call. “His questions are very strategic. I mean, you just have to know your ‘ball.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.