Players' Perspective
Veterans Cody Whitehair and John Jenkins both spoke with the media after practice, as did rookie MJ Devonshire.
Whitehair spoke a lot about his experience in Luke Getsy's offense and how he is using that to help out some of the other players on the team. He is definitely embracing his role as a veteran on the squad and with a line that is so young in many places, Whitehair could add value no matter how much he plays this season.
Jenkins commented on his absences during training camp, stating that he had to have his wisdom teeth removed and that is why he was unable to practice. He laughed that with how old he is getting, his wisdom teeth were what took him out and made him miss camp.
He also went on to talk about the fact that it is his 12th season and training camp, and when asked about his mentorship of Byron Young, he reflected back on guys who guided him as a young player, with names like Jonathan Vilma and Akiem Hicks coming up.
He mentored Christian Wilkins as a rookie when they were both in Miami playing for the Dolphins, and acknowledged he is trying to do the same with Young and Nesta Jade Silvera.
MJ Devonshire touched on the physical and mental difficulty of switching constantly from an inside slot corner to playing on the outside, which reminds me a bit of a young Nate Hobbs. Hobbs has recognized this similarity and is taking the time to mentor Devonshire and help him out, according to Devonshire.
With training camp in Costa Mesa now in the rearview mirror, all eyes will be on US Bank Stadium in Minnesota where the Raiders will play the Vikings in a preseason battle on Saturday.