Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden pleased with the growth of his three first-round picks

Once the NFL draft rolled around this offseason the Raiders had possession of three first-round picks. Jon Gruden scooped up three intriguing prospects out of the college ranks who now appear to be large figure’s in the team’s foundation moving forward.

Last season was a difficult pill to swallow for the Raiders organization. Although they didn’t have many bright spots during the 2019 season, they did have a promising draft as they made numerous day one selections.

Gruden cashed in on Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram to improve the Raiders efforts in becoming a winning football team. With just four wins last season, Mike Mayock and Gruden turned to high character type players in the draft to pair with some savvy veterans in order to rejuvenate the team.

It’s only been one offseason of training and learning the scheme’s, but Gruden is thrilled with the progress of his first-round rookies throughout camp.

"“They’re good football players” said Gruden after Tuesday’s practice. “They’re smart, they’re into it. They have leadership skills, mental toughness, and I think they’re all physical every down football players.”"

The development process of these three guys is astronomical for the Raiders future. They hit the reset button moving off of Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper and now will look to catch lightning in a bottle with the young core of Ferrell, Jacobs, and Abram.