Battles to make the Raiders final 53-man roster heating up
By Evan Groat
Marcell Ateman
The seventh round draft pick, Marcell Ateman, is a name you keep reading about if you follow any of the well known Raiders beat writers on twitter. Head coach Jon Gruden has also publicly praised Ateman for his work during training camp. In a press conference earlier in camp Gruden had this to say.
"“He’s further along than expected, he’s going to get on the field if he keeps playing. We had a personnel meeting the other night and everybody’s talking about Ateman. We’re going to play the best guys, and right now he is earning the right to get on the field."
Ateman is kind of a one trick pony due to his length and lack of speed but could be a huge threat in the red zone.
If Ateman can show he can do some things on special teams, I think he could steal a roster spot from a guy like Johnny Holton.