Oakland Raiders: 3 rookie matchups to watch against the Arizona Cardinals

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 06: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 06: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
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BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 20: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs breaks up a pass intended for Derrick Dillon #19 of the LSU Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 20: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs breaks up a pass intended for Derrick Dillon #19 of the LSU Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

The Oakland Raiders take on the Arizona Cardinals in preseason game No. 2 tonight, and here are three rookie matchups to keep an eye on.

The Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals had high draft picks in April, so it’s not surprising that there are a handful of intriguing match-ups. Tonight’s game will be one that will pit rookies against each other, and could be an early indication of which team had the better draft.

While the preseason is more of a tune-up for the veteran starters, it provides rookies their first opportunity to make a name for themselves. Winning match-ups against other young players not only helps the young bucks gain popularity with the fans, but also with the coaching staff.

This game against the Cardinals could be another step for younger players to improve their position on the depth chart, or could begin a long slide down it. Here are three Raiders rookies we are looking forward to see in some big matchups Thursday night.

Schedule