One day in to the Raiders’ mandatory minicamp, here are five players who have given themselves a head start when training camp begins on July 27:
Safety Erik Harris: This one came out of the blue Tuesday following practice. Harris is a safety and core special teams player who was brought aboard last season and played in 15 games Harris, 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, played in college at the University of California, Pennsylvania and has played with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League as well as the New Orleans Saints. “The guy that’s really been stunning for us is Erik Harris. I’m doing my research on this guy. Who is this cat?,” Gruden said. “This guy has played really good football for us. I don’t care what round they are coming from. This kid is really rising to the top right now.
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst: The fifth-round pick from Michigan has impressed coaches and teammates alike with his agility, smarts and motor as a three-technique defensive tackle. Mario Edwards Jr. was running with the first team at that position Tuesday, but Hurst will be given every opportunity to shine when the Raiders get to Napa and is probably ahead of second-round choice P.J. Hall. In some ways, Hurst is everything Edwards hasn’t been in terms of instant production rather than injury-plagued potential. “Mo is looking real good, man. I’m really impressed with Mo,” guard Keleche Osemele said. “Definitely got a steal with him. He’s looking real good. He’s going to be good. If he just keeps going, the sky is the limit for that guy.”
Defensive end Frostee Rucker: Yes, Rucker just arrived. But it’s clear how much Gruden loves veteran players and Rucker provides an immediate presence in the meeting room to help younger players with the nuances of the defensive system as installed by Paul Guenther. Rucker, who played 16 games with Arizona last season, was with Cincinnati from 2006 through 2011, and Guenther was on staff during that span. “Rucker is a guy that has been a very good, physical football player at multiple positions for a long time. He has a history with coach Guenther, that’s obvious,” Gruden said. “But, he started a lot of games for Arizona last season. His versatility and leadership is outstanding. When you have Arden Key and you have (Maurice) Hurst and you have P.J. Hall, it helps when you have a veteran presence in every room. Rucker will help us do that.”
Tight end Jared Cook: Think back to when Gruden was hired, and it was no lock that Cooper, with a cap number of $5.675 million, would still be around. But Cooper, who had 54 catches for 688 yards last season, has taken to the coaching staff and the system, and Gruden has taken to Cooper. Gruden essentially conceded Tuesday he had underestimated Cook’s skill set. “Jared Cook has had a great camp. I did not know Jared Cook moved like that,” Gruden said. “I knew he had really good pass receiving skills, but we can line him up at a lot of different places now. He’s been really sharp. We’ve asked him to do a lot.”
Quarterback Connor Cook: OK, Cook had an underthrown wobbler that was stolen by safety Karl Joseph Tuesday. But he’s consistently run with the second team ahead of E.J. Manuel and appears to have picked up the pace in practice. Through his first two seasons with the Raiders, practice performance has not been a strength of Cook, who often looked better in preseason games than he did during Napa practices. The Raiders released Christian Hackenberg, a former second-round pick of the Jets. “It’s hard to get one guy ready right now, let alone two or three, but Connor Cook’s game is moving up. He’s doing better. He still, I think, has some rough edges that he can improve. EJ Manuel is an athletic guy. He’s made some strides. Right now, it’s Derek Carr and it’s wide open after that.”
