The NFL allows teams to host 30 draft-eligible players for visits at their facilities.
The Raiders brought in a wide range of prospects. The group consisted of several top-rated prospects, including Miami quarterback Cam Ward, LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
These visits typically are designed for teams to get an up-close look at prospects and could entail a workout, extensive interviews and a medical evaluation.
But as the Raiders showed last week during a two-day visit that involved a cluster of prospects, when it comes to gathering information, sometimes innovation is needed.
A group that included Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard went through a battery of interviews, workouts and visits over the course of the visit. Then it got interesting when the Raiders took them all out for a night of fun at Topgolf.
Lest you think the Raiders were just giving them a chance to unwind, there was an ulterior motive behind throwing them together in what turned out to be a competitive atmosphere. Raiders coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek hoped to glean information based on how everyone interacted within the group.
“We try to give them an atmosphere where they feel comfortable so that they’ll feel free and allow a little bit of vulnerability to be shown,” Carroll said. “But it’s hugely important that we get at the answers. We don’t always get them, but we’re digging for them.”
Whether it impacts whom the Raiders select with their nine draft picks this week remains to be seen.
Chances are, though, they will select several players who were brought in for the 30 visits.
Here’s the list of those who have been confirmed or reported to have been hosted by the Raiders:
Quarterbacks
Cam Ward, Miami; Shedeur Sanders, Colorado; Jalen Milroe, Alabama; Will Howard, Ohio State; Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss; Quinn Ewers, Texas; Tyler Shough, Louisville; Cam Miller, North Dakota State.
Comment: The likelihood increases that Sanders will be available when the Raiders make the sixth pick in the first round. Would they take Sanders with Geno Smith under contract for the next three years?
Or would Milroe, Ewers or Howard make more sense in the second, third or fourth round?
Running backs
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State; Kaleb Johnson, Iowa.
Comment: Jeanty is the prohibitive pick for the Raiders in the first round. But what if he’s gone before they pick? Johnson makes a lot of sense in the third round if the Raiders go in a different direction in the first round.
Wide receivers
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona; Jaylin Noel, Iowa State; Luther Burden, Missouri.
Comment: If Burden falls to the second round, the Raiders would be wise to grab him with the 37th pick of the draft.
Offensive linemen
Will Campbell, LSU; Kelvin Banks, Texas; Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech; Charles Grant, William & Mary.
Comment: Campbell is not expected to be on the board at No. 6. Banks is a long shot to fall out of the first round, but he would be hard to pass up if he was available at pick 37.
Defensive tackles
Mason Graham, Michigan; Yahya Black, Iowa.
Comment: The Raiders would have a tough decision if Graham and Jeanty are available at No. 6. Black looks like a day three player who can add immediate value as a rotational player.
Defensive ends
Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA.
Comment: Oladejo took off after moving from linebacker to defensive end last season. He is still scratching the surface as a rush end.
Linebackers
Jalon Walker, Georgia; Carson Schwesinger, UCLA; Josiah Stewart, Michigan; Teddye Buchanan, Cal.
Comment: The Raiders cast a wide net at linebacker, ranging from a first-round talent like Walker to a day-three riser like Buchanan. Don’t be surprised if they draft two linebackers.
Cornerbacks
Will Johnson, Michigan; Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame; Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky; Zah Frazier, Texas-San Antonio.
Comment: Johnson could be a great call with the sixth pick. Morrison is a first-round talent coming off a hip injury. He will be a day-two steal for someone.
Safeties
Malaki Starks, Georgia, Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina.
Comment: Starks and Emmanwori are projected to go in the first round.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
Up next
What: NFL draft
When: 5 p.m. Thursday (first round)
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
TV: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network
Raiders picks: First round (6); second (37); third (68); fourth (108); fifth (143); sixth (180, 213, 215); seventh (222)
