OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 06: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 6, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Training camp is finally here for the Raiders and everything starts with the rookies, who report a few days before the veterans do. The Raiders have a talented and exciting rookie class that could have a few guys that will make a huge impact on the team in 2019. There was an emphasis on drafting high character guys for the Raiders and it’s already starting to show. There have been no negative headlines to come from any of the young Raiders and some of them have already garnered praise for the leadership.
It’s hard to know what the Raiders have in this rookie class just yet, but training camp should give the team a better idea. The three first-round picks in Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram could be starters when the season rolls around. Considering the team played very poorly a year ago, an overhaul seemed necessary. The 2019 Raiders will be much younger than a year ago. That influx of youth should help bring energy to a team that didn’t have a whole lot it in 2018.
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Derek Carr’s Leadership Resonates With the Raiders Rookies
In an effort to show off their rookies, the Raiders have released a three-part miniseries called More Than Rookies. These short episodes shed a little bit of light on what it’s like for these young players to transition from college to the pros. The team just recently released the final episode and in it, starting QB Derek Carr was the standout. While far from being a rookie, Carr’s message to the new rookies seemed to mean a lot to them.
“The thing that I’ve seen since I came in these doors is that the people that stay around, the people that make this a career are the people that every single thing they do matters to do them,” Derek Carr told the rookies during a meeting. “My number goal for this team is to win rings and the right way to do it is by outside of this place and inside of this place, just making sure that every decision you make is to win those rings.
This message really resonated well with the rookies. “When Derek Carr got up in front of the whole team and laid out what his goals were for this team, a flip switched for sure, for everybody,” said rookie fullback Alec Ingold.
“The only thing that I ask from you is that every day you walk into this building, give it everything that you have,” Carr continued while talking to the rookies. “This is the best rookie class, and I’m not talking about talent, I’m talking about your mentality, I’m talking about every conversation I’ve had with you. This is the best rookie class that I’ve ever been around because I can tell that y’all are hungry.”
“You can tell that the leaders on this team truly believe that something great can happen here and everybody that was sitting in those chairs believed it as well,” said Ingold about Carr’s speech.
The rookies buying into Derek Carr’s messaging and leadership is a very good sign for a franchise that hasn’t fielded a consistent winner in a long time. This rookie class will have to be great if the Raiders are going to turn things around. Carr’s impressions of these rookies are certainly exciting and if they can live up to the hype, the Raiders could be back on top very soon. While Derek Carr has gotten his fair share of hate in the media lately, it’s hard to discount his ability as a leader for this team.
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