The Las Vegas Raiders are setting some high standards for themselves moving forward. With a new arena in a new city, Raiders fans are hoping for big things in 2020.
The pathway to a good 2020 season relies on the growth of the Raiders’ 2019 draft class. With nearly all nine of the Raiders picks from the 2019 NFL Draft finding an important role, there is no reason these young players should not excel even more in their sophomore years.
For defensive end Maxx Crosby, he understands that the Raiders rookies will be the franchise’s key to success in the future, via Scott Blair of NBC Sports:
“We talk about it here and there, but it’s more of something we just know,” Crosby said. “We know what we’re here for and how good we can be. Me and John and Josh and Cle and everybody else, we’re all close. For us, we know what Gruden brought us here to do. We’re grinding away and preparing to get in the playoffs and go win some games and eventually win a Super Bowl.”
There is no doubt that it will take some work for these former rookies to become elite. The Raiders certainly have the tools to be great but need to take their skills to the next level in 2020. Each rookie played a very specific role last season and executed them well, so expanding on how to play those roles to their absolute best will be crucial.
One player who still needs to establish his role is Johnathan Abram. Although he is still regarded by the coaching staff and his teammates as an excellent player, his early-season injury derailed nearly his entire rookie season.
Despite only playing in one game, Abram feels every Raiders rookie knew their role from the moment they were drafted:
“That was the best part of it,” Abram said. “No matter what round we came in, we put all that behind us the day we showed up at the facility. We were all hand-selected and brought here for a purpose. We just have to get the job done.”
It will also be interesting to see how the Raiders approach the 2020 NFL Draft. While Hunter Renfrow, Foster Moreau and Darren Waller will continue to be good receiving options for the team, pass-catchers are the team’s clearest need on the offensive side of the ball at the moment.
No matter how the rest of the roster shapes up in 2020, there will be a number of key players returning for their sophomore years. While it is unnerving to know players can leave in free agency, Las Vegas should have security in knowing some of their best players are only just getting started.
