Analysis: Five Raider training-camp risers to watch in preseason

Fernando Mendoza was merely standing up and pulling a resistance band outward to stretch Tuesday night when the Allegiant Stadium video boards first showed him.

The crowd assembled for the Raiders’ only open practice at their home field this season erupted anyway.

The rookie No. 1 overall draft pick quarterback is clearly the biggest focus of the upcoming preseason, which begins at 5 p.m. Thursday when the Raiders host the Arizona Cardinals, but he shouldn’t be the lone focus.

The Raiders have assembled a number of other promising young players to complement Mendoza in a rebuild beginning this season under first-year coach Klint Kubiak.

Many of them should also play a bigger Day 1 role than Mendoza, who seems all but sure to begin the season as a backup to veteran free-agent add Kirk Cousins. The preseason will be the hopefuls’ final chance to stand out and earn a primary role.   

Here are five non-Mendoza players to watch as the Raiders play three exhibition games ramping up to their Week 1 contest hosting the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13. They are presented in rough order of chances to be a starter in that game against the Dolphins, from the least likeliest to the most.

Mike Washington

No, the rookie fourth-round pick out of Arkansas isn’t going to supplant second-year former Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty at the top of the depth chart.

But the snap split is shaping up to be more even than many anticipated, especially after Kubiak intimated he never wanted to take Jeanty off the field in the spring. Washington has rotated in with Jeanty for about the third of first-team snaps ever since the beginning of the training camp.

Going strictly off rushing attempts, a case could even be made that Washington has looked more explosive than Jeanty at training camp.

The passing game is where Jeanty has really separated himself as he’s catching multiple passes from quarterback Kirk Cousins every practice. Washington has some work to do in that area, both as a pass-catching option and a protector.

But, as long as he doesn’t prove to be a liability in those areas and can hold onto the ball (15 career college fumbles are a concern), Washington will have the chance to make an offensive impact this season.   

“I’m really just being physical and coming in running with that mindset,” Washington said of his mentality. “When you run with a physical mindset, nobody really wants to tackle you — especially being a bigger back.”

Caleb Rogers

The Raiders’ starting offensive line stayed surprisingly consistent for the first week-and-a-half of training camp with Tyler Linderbaum at center, Jackson Powers-Johnson at right guard, Spencer Burford at left guard, D.J. Glaze at right tackle and Kolton Miller at left tackle.

The only change came late last week when Rogers, a second-year player out of Texas Tech, began splitting time with Powers-Johnson. Raiders’ fans immediately began to wonder what’s wrong with Powers-Johnson, who fell out of favor last year and had an injury-plagued season after a promising 2024 rookie campaign.   

But perhaps that’s the wrong question.

The Raiders just might be more intrigued with Rogers’ potential than having reservations about Powers-Johnson.

“That's why they picked me, that's why I'm here,” Rogers said of competing for a starting spot. “It's not about me. My job is to make the room better, whether that's by being the best (backup) I can, or whether that's by raising the standard of play by becoming a (starter).”

Burford has been steady at left guard, and the coaching staff has praised the free-agent arrival from the 49ers’ fit with the Raiders’ new zone-blocking scheme.

Right guard might therefore be the best way to get Rogers on the field.

Right after making his push, Rogers went down with an injury and missed Monday's practice.

But he downplayed the severity of the injury and got back on the field for the Allegiant showcase. Even if Powers-Johnson holds him off, Rogers could be a valuable swing interior lineman ready to fill in wherever necessary in case of injury early in the season.

“We have done a great job just raising the standard of play with the people that are in the room, the way we push each other, the way that we all work,” Rogers said of the offensive linemen. “And so, it's been incredible to be a part of and it has raised my play. It's not about me; it's about the group.”

Tonka Hemingway

The only member of the 2025 draft class who may have spent more time at the Raiders’ Henderson facility over the summer than Rogers is Hemingway, the fourth-round defensive tackle out of South Carolina.

Hemingway won an award for his work in the weight room over the offseason, and said the newfound strength has translated to the practice field.

It sure looks like it.

Hemingway has been a lot to handle for the Raiders’ offensive line. He’s even gotten the best of Linderbaum, who became the highest-paid center in NFL history this offseason, on occasion.

Quarterbacks aren’t allowed to be hit in practice, but Hemingway would have at least a couple sacks if contact was permitted in team drills.

Defensive tackle is a trouble spot for the Raiders on paper with no bona fide standout. Hemingway, Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker and Benito Jones are the primary competitors fighting for playing time.

Hemingway might have come into training camp at the end of that list, but now he deserves to be at the front.  

“Someone told me it’s all about sacrifices,” Hemingway described his offseason training regimen. “I could have gone back home and done everything, but I just decided to stay here and really go hard at it.”

Malik Benson

Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker appear to be certainties for two of the Raiders’ three starting receiver positions. The third role is where it gets interesting.

Jack Bech is currently listed in the spot, but he’s been thoroughly outplayed in training camp by the sixth-round rookie Benson. The Oregon, by way of Alabama and Florida State, product, seems to produce daily highlights and has become the go-to receiver for Mendoza on the second-team offense.

It’s always best to exercise some caution with rookie receivers. Former third-round pick Dont’e Thornton, after all, was the talk of training camp at this time a year ago and could now conceivably not even make the roster this year.

Benson’s ascent would be the primary cause if something like that did happen. He’s shown an uncanny knack for not only getting open but also making spectacular catches when he’s not swimming in space or getting the most on-target passes.

“Each and every day, I just come with that chip on my shoulder to show everybody if you think I'm soft, then you're going to have to come out here and find out," Benson said.

Benson could use the preseason to prove all the practice production is something that could stick in games.  

Hezekiah Masses

A rookie cornerback might control his own destiny to emerge as the Raiders’ starter at the spot opposite of veteran Eric Stokes — just not the one everyone expected.

Fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy, who had a first-round grade before missing his final college season with a degenerative knee issue, came into training camp with all the buzz but it’s Masses who’s since dominated the hype.

The fifth-round pick out of California has split first-team snaps with second-year cornerback Darien Porter. McCoy could still emerge and threaten both of them but, right now, the outlook looks pretty close to 50/50 between Porter and Masses.

Masses has put together the bigger moments, making several acrobatic pass break-ups and making it a point to play physically in close space. The latter was a knock on him as a prospect with his 6-foot-1, 179-pound size scouted as a liability against bigger receivers.

“I'm trying to take their head off,” Masses said in response to the criticism. “That was a big issue, they said I can't tackle, so I'm going to show them. I'm going to show them I’m very physical. I can do everything."

Porter’s 6-foot-3, 195-pound size gives him a leg-up and he’s probably given up fewer big plays than Masses. But he’s also almost surely given up more completions, meaning Masses could be the higher-upside option.

If Masses limits his mistakes in the preseason, the job just might be his.

“I'm just out there just making plays and just being myself,” he said. “They are calling great calls, and I'm just out there executing."