Raiders top 3 camp battles to watch during OTAs
No question, the Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most talked-about teams this offseason. The buzz was kick-started by cleaning house with upper management and their coaching staff.
The second domino fell when owner Mark Davis went all-in for HC Josh McDaniels while doubling up on those gains with new GM Dave Ziegler.
The third domino was the veteran additions of All-Pro WR Davante Adams and Pro Bowl EDGE Chandler Jones.
Things come in three’s and there you have it.
Fast forward to today and the Raiders from a personnel standpoint are pretty much set as they formulate their 53-man roster. Now, it’s time for the coveted camp battles where competition is at its peak.
Below are my top three camp battles to watch as OTAs begin…
Backup QB | Nick Mullens vs Jarrett Stidham
Both players share similar skill-sets
Mullens has more experience but Stidham offers a higher ceiling
QB Nick Mullens
6-1, 187 | Southern Mississippi
2017-2021 | 49ers & Browns (Eagles omitted)
Set NFL record with QPR 151.9 for a QB debut (min. 20 pass attempts)
407/630 (64.6%) for 4,861 passing yards, 26 TDs, 22 INTs | QPR: 87.3
Covering Mullens during my time as a 49ers beat writer, I quickly noticed his competitive drive and confidence during practice sessions. Below are some quotes from his coaches, peers, and teammates after his impressive NFL debut vs. Raiders in 2018:
Q: When you went and watched the tape, what did you make of QB Nick Mullens’ performance? [HC Kyle Shanahan]
“I thought he was very efficient, made some big plays. Getting to number two in his progression on that throw to Kittle, did a hell of a job. Kittle made a hell of a catch on it, too. A couple of the plays down in the red zone, also. Did a good job getting rid of the ball, changing his arm angle a number of times and got us in and out of the huddle very efficiently.”
Q: CB Richard Sherman talked about Nick Mullens being competitive even in seven-on-sevens and walk-throughs and practice. Do you ever have to dial him down at all or do you just let him? [HC Kyle Shanahan]
“No, you don’t dial him down at all. He tries to keep it to himself. He’s not real outgoing, but he can’t help it. You’re going to see the frustration and the fire on his face a lot. He is extremely competitive. He believes in himself. He’s a guy who, he won’t ever say it, but he knows he’s going to go to college and have a great career. He believes whether he gets drafted or not he’s going to go to the NFL and make it. He’s a guy who truly believes that if you just give him some time he’ll find a way. I think he’s done that throughout his entire life and he hasn’t stopped so far all of the way to the NFL last night.”
Mullens embodies the “Raider Way”
Getting that kind of 360-degree feedback on the Southern Miss product was impressive. What’s even more impressive was Mullens’ football character--a staple of the “Raider Way.”
Q: How does your approach kind of change now that head coach Kyle Shanahan has said that you’re the starter the rest of the way, barring anything unforeseen?
“My mindset doesn’t change no matter what position I’m in. For the Niners, nothing changes. My work ethic doesn’t change and it’s up to me to really do everything that I’ve done to get here. So, just got to continue the same approach and keep getting better every day.”
Q: Does it take a little sense off of the, ‘I don’t need to go in and press on every single down and every single series, I know I’m going to be here for the duration of the game?’
“No, I don’t think like that at all. I have to prove myself every single day, every single rep and every single play. It’s just the way the league works, and it’s how I want to be. I want to achieve, and if I don’t, I know what comes.”
Q: Did you self-scout over the Bye?
“Yeah. I’m always self-scouting personally. I have a lot of things I need to work on. It’s always running through your mind. It keeps me pretty angry most of the time, to be honest. I’m always hard on myself. So, yeah, there are definitely some things I need to get better at for this team to be better.”
Q: Can you lay out how you do it, what is your process with the crowd noise and practicing?
“We obviously put a lot of hours in during the day learning the plays, walking through the plays and then practicing the plays, obviously. But, work doesn’t stop here. You go home, you study the plays and you really just have a very strict routine that I try to stick to. It helps me prepare and that does involve calling out the plays and envisioning the plays and seeing them in your head. That helps me be successful.”
These were things I touched on in a previous article regarding the “Patriot Way” making its way to Las Vegas. You can see the drive, discipline, and dedication that Mullens embodies. Simply the Raider Way.
QB Jarrett Stidham
I wrote an earlier article on the intangibles and NFL traits that Stidham brings to Las Vegas. Those same traits reflect mirror images of Mullens. The question now becomes, who wins backup duties.
It’s a good problem to have…
On Monday, I had the honor of going on the Raiders.com “In The Huddle” podcast thanks to Vegas Nation beat writer Vinny Bonsignore. We touched on a number of silver & black topics including:
Backup QB competition
“Patriot Way” making its way to LVR
The best five “OL” --Leatherwood being kicked to OG
WR Bryan Edwards trade
WR Davante Adams & OLB Chandler Jones additions
If you missed that podcast, don’t fret. We have you covered. You can catch the full episode below and highly recommend the podcast for all your Raider Nation needs…
Who wins the job will ultimately come down to trust. Who does McDaniels trust more in 2022? The higher ceiling guy or the more experienced one?
Who starts at LG? | John Simpson, Dylan Parham OR Denzel Good
I’m betting OT Alex Leatherwood stays at RG
Who starts at LG?
Three-way camp battle between: OG John Simpson, OG Dylan Parham, and OG Denzelle Good
Simpson started at LG in 2021
Parham played RG at Memphis but has swing experience
Good tore his ACL | Week 1
This all depends on Parham, as he has every opportunity to win the job after being selected in R3. How fast he picks up the team’s scheme will ultimately determine his playing status on Sundays.
The “Raider Way” will tell us the best man wins out as they formulate “the best five,” no matter their draft status or salary--but make no mistake, GM Dave Ziegler didn’t draft Parham too be a serviceable backup. He sees starter potential.
Simpson has the experience and was highly coveted coming out of Clemson. Execs and scouts I spoke with loved his combination of power and strength at POA.
Simpson does have his faults. He was flagged 10x last year which ranked 7th in the NFL for all OGs. That’s not the “Raider Way.” Ziegler and McDaniels want smart football players who won’t be drive killers with mental lapses in pre-to-post snap play.
Parham could give Simpson a run for his money in 2022. But again, it comes down to how well Parham picks up the scheme while showing promise he can hold up in pass-pro (especially with his hand placement).
Good is the wild-card. He tore his ACL which more times than not will develop arthritis in the affected knee. How he recovers during physical therapy will ultimately determine how much faith the Raiders coaching staff has in him moving forward.
Who starts at NT? | Johnathan Hankins OR Neil Farrell
This is arguably the most important position in DC Patrick Graham’s scheme. Why? I talked about it in my earlier article as the team is transitioning from a 4-3 front to an odd-man base. You can read that below:
We can sit and talk about how 70% of all defenses play from a 4-2 alignment the majority of the time, but it does no justice if you can’t stop the run first.
In order to play a 3-4, you need a nose tackle who can clog up space and be essentially a “space-eater.” Everything starts at the nose.
If your DL can’t two-gap then don’t play a 3-4 base--you simply don’t have the personnel and should switch to a one-gap scheme--saving your linebackers the headache of having to gap-and-replace.
Luckily, Ziegler is a BEAST of a GM who understands personnel in “putting his players in the best position to make plays.”
Re-signed NT Johnathan Hankins
Traded up for R4 pick NT Neil Farrell
Both of the players mentioned above can two-gap while not being moved off their grass. Can they anchor? Do they have stack-and-shed ability? Do they have the awareness from box-to-spill? These are all questions that must be answered in order to project a nose tackle.
Hankins has familiarity with Graham’s system while Farrell was coached up by my good friend Andre Carter at LSU.
Hankins may be the front-runner to win the job today, simply because of his veteran leadership and experience, but Farrell has a strong get-off with huge upside. Both players will make each other better, “The Raider Way,” in brewing competition as iron sharpens iron.
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