Five Raiders who impressed during pre-training camp workouts

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Maxx Crosby disrupted the offense. Ashton Jeanty flashed his footwork prowess. Brock Bowers found holes in the defensive backfield to get open.

Most of the biggest-name players on the Raiders' roster delivered over the last three weeks in practice, spanning voluntary offseason team activities in mid-May through mandatory minicamp, which concluded Thursday. 

That was to be expected, but there were others who flashed during the 2025 Raiders’ first time on the field together and built some momentum for when the team reconvenes for training camp in late July at their Henderson headquarters.

“These next six weeks are huge,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said. “These guys have to come back in great shape. I challenged every one of them to be in the best of their life if they want to make the most of this opportunity. They need to go about it with that thought and, so they’ve all got plans on how they’re going to get that done. We’ll see what happens when we return.”

Here are five under-the-radar players who put themselves in strong position with the new coaching staff ahead of the return.

Jeremy Chinn

The sixth-year veteran, free-agency acquired safety, claimed the first of many interceptions thrown by quarterback Geno Smith in the sessions open to media. He probably deserved an assist on at least a couple more.

Communication is paramount in the secondary, and Las Vegas needed someone to command after losing Marcus Epps and Tre’von Moehrig, players who were the vocal leaders of the unit the last two years, in free agency.

Chinn has taken over the duties seamlessly, making sure his teammates are aligned properly and pointing out formations and presnap motions. All the while, Chinn’s play stayed strong even as he alternated positions frequently.

It appears Carroll and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will use Chinn in a “joker” type role where he’s excelled in the past.

“I feel like I can affect the game in a lot of ways, in a lot of different spots,” Chinn said. “This defense is allowing me to do that, so it’s super exciting."     

Dont’e Thornton

Chinn has matched up with everyone near the top of the Raiders’ entire receiving corps by now, so it was notable when he praised rookie Thornton.

Chinn was far from the only teammate who came away mesmerized by the fourth-round pick out of Tennessee.  

“Dont’e Thornton is another huge one,” center Jackson Powers-Johnson said when asked who has caught his eye on offense. “Everyone's talking about him.”

Most scouts viewed Thornton as a "project" who had ideal size — 6-foot-5, 205 pounds — and speed — he ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft Combine, second among all wide receivers — but needed seasoning.

Thornton has still looked raw at times but made enough plays that he began taking most of his reps with the starting offense by the end of minicamp. He hauled in a couple memorable downfield passes from Smith and could add another big-play element to the offense if his learning curve is more expedited than originally thought.

Jack Bech

The receiver the Raiders took before Thornton in the draft, second-rounder Jack Bech, was not as flashy but steadier.

Working primarily with the second team, Bech showed off precision route-running ability and soft hands. He got work both out wide and in the slot, just as he did throughout a college career that started at Louisiana State and concluded at Texas Christian.   

The receiving corps might have looked a bit weak coming into offseason practices but now features decent competition with Bech and Thornton pushing incumbent third-year speedster Tre Tucker for elevated passing-game roles next to Bowers and Jakobi Meyers.

“The idea is to force those guys to play early and make them have to play,” Carroll said of Bech and Thornton. “To do that well, you have to ask them to do things they’re good at. If you just ask them to try to do everything that a veteran knows, they're going to falter and they're not going to be able to show themselves. But if you do it in a progressive manner that gives them a chance to show, then by the time we get to mid-season, those guys can be regulars for us.”  

Darien Porter

Carroll’s foremost coaching tenet is that everyone must earn their playing time, especially rookies, regardless of where they were drafted.

Even with Thornton and Bech making a push, running back Jeanty remains far and away the likeliest rookie to earn a starting role. Porter, a third-round cornerback out of Iowa State, would probably be the second most-likely.

Like Thornton, Porter was described as “raw” coming out of the draft but with enviable size — he’s 6-foot-3, 195 pounds — and speed — he also ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash — at his disposal.

He’s already started to make the most of the traits, getting a ton of starter snaps alongside Jakorian Bennett, Eric Stokes and Darnay Holmes. Throw 2024 third-round pick Decamerion Richardson into the mix, and cornerback might have the most competition of any position at training camp.

Don’t discount Porter's chances to come out on top.  

"He's been playing really well,” Chinn said of Porter. “He's got great technique. He's playing more confident, so it's cool to see. Every time you can see a young guy just kind of come in, out of college, and just feel like he understands it, it's pretty cool.”

Jackson Powers-Johnson

The offensive line shapes up a lot like the defensive backfield going into the season for the Raiders.

Both units grade out as mediocre on paper but could prove better than advertised if the right players break out and emerge as leaders. Like Chinn in the defensive backfield, second-year center Jackson Powers-Johnson is largely taking it upon himself to direct his position-mates and make sure they’re aware of defensive fronts they’re facing.

The Oregon product taken in the second round of the 2024 draft never lacked for confidence, but it’s soaring after a strong rookie season. He’s also feeling better physically than a year ago when he missed minicamp and training camp with injuries and illness.      

Powers-Johnson has spent the last several months locally working out with Crosby, reporting that he’s lost more than 10 pounds and put on muscle. Now at center permanently after switching between the position and the two guard spots last year, Powers-Johnson is in position to transcend during his sophomore season.  

“This is the most fun I've had in football since I was a little kid,” Powers-Johnson said. “And it's super exciting. We're competing and we're going out there and playing football, so I can't complain.”