Can Raiders rookies make immediate impact in 2024?

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, May 11, 2024 | 2 a.m.

There’s a common rule of thumb that you have to wait three years to judge an NFL draft class, because it can take that long for young players to fully transition to the pros. Immediate impact players like C.J. Stroud, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, are the rare exceptions.

Is there a Stroud-like franchise cornerstone in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2024 incoming class? That’s a very high bar, but the team is hoping it won’t have to wait until 2027 for some of the newcomers to at least start making a difference.

That process began in earnest on Friday, when Raiders draftees reported for the first day of rookie minicamp.

When asked what he hopes the players get out of minicamp, which runs for two days, head coach Antonio Pierce was happy to report the new crop had already hit the ground running.

“How we play football, how we practice, how we study,” Pierce said. “They’re doing that now in the classroom. They’re bright-eyed. I asked them to be here five minutes early, they were here about 20 minutes early, just sitting in the room by themselves. I looked around, thought there was a meeting going on in there; they were just ready to go.”

The best bet for early production has to be Brock Bowers, the Raiders’ first-round pick out of Georgia.

Bowers has done it before. As a true freshman in 2021, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end caught 56 passes for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns, incredible numbers for a first-year player in the SEC. With Bowers contributing immediately, the Bulldogs went 14-1 and won the national championship.

After selecting Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick, Las Vegas is hoping he’ll make a similar splash in Year 1 in the NFL.

Bowers said his top priority during rookie minicamp is learning the Raiders’ offense, as that’s what helped him transition so spectacularly from high school to the college level.

“I think it was partly my work ethic, just getting in there and getting to work,” Bowers said. “And learning the playbook as fast as I can, because that makes a huge different. My mind is racing out there, so I feel like I can’t go as fast as I need to be going at this level. Playbook is a big part of it.”

The rest of the rookies don’t have Bowers’ track record of making a first-year impact. Second-round offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson started three of 11 games as a freshman at Oregon, while third-rounder D.J. Glaze redshirted his first year at Maryland. Fourth-round cornerback Decamerion Richardson appeared in seven games as a true freshman at Mississippi State but played limited snaps, finishing with zero tackles.

There is opportunity for each of the rookies to earn playing time. The Raiders could use help along the offensive line, and Powers-Johnson and Glaze have the positional versatility to compete at multiple spots. The defensive backfield is also an area that looks thin at this point in the offseason, so Richardson could vault himself up the depth chart by the time the season starts.

The rookies went through approximately an hour of drills at the team’s Henderson practice facility on Friday. The session was non-contact, but it provided the first opportunity for the Raiders’ eight draft picks and 17 undrafted free agents to get on the field and get to work as professionals.

After the workout, Glaze speculated that the shortest route to playing time will be lining up at multiple positions.

“The biggest thing for me is contributing in any way I can,” Glaze said. “They need me at guard, go to guard. They need me at left tackle, left guard, wherever, be ready to plug in and do all I can to play. Help out. Do whatever I can to help out.”

Along with Bowers, the rookie who could see the field most often might be sixth-rounder Dylan Laube, a small-stature, small-school running back out of New Hampshire. Laube excelled as a pass-catching back, and general manager Tom Telesco said his open-field ability could earn him a role as the team’s primary kick and punt returner.

Laube made several smooth catches on Friday, showcasing the route-running ability and soft hands that got his name called on Day 3 of the draft.

While the rookies are striving to stand out, Pierce wants them to remember that it’s a long process. Not every rookie is going to explode onto the scene like Stroud, but the Raiders’ newcomers are in the building because of their talent and work ethic.

“That’s a message that A.P. really put across to the rookies, is just to be ourselves,” Powers-Johnson said. “Really look up to the old guys and the vets and really take in what they’re saying, and try to absorb as much knowledge as possible. But I’m still going to be myself.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.