Training camp is a difficult thing to evaluate, especially from afar. This is particularly true for a young team like the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a first-time head coach, a seemingly endless amount of first and second-year players, and a whole lot of competitions to sift through and decisions to make.
Not every big play that is made means something for the regular season, though. Sometimes, a guy just gets hot one day or is the beneficiary of some freak occurrence. Coaches can test different things or challenge certain guys, and they'll never reveal the intentions behind their choices.
What matters is trends.
It is easier to draw conclusions when a player earns consistent opportunities with the top group, or when they're suddenly playing with the second unit after struggling with the 1s. Constant progress or seeing the same names pop up over and over can mean something as well, good or bad.
And the Raiders have needed a wide receiver to start trending in the right direction after the group endured early struggles at training camp.
Although rookie Malik Benson is improving every day, the one pass-catcher who is coming along most notably is veteran free agent signing Jalen "Speedy" Nailor. This couldn't be better timing, as fans were starting to worry about the viability of the receiver unit. Nailor is changing that narrative.
Jalen Nailor is coming along in Raiders' WR group at the right time
After a rough Day 1 of training camp for the entire wide receiver group, Nailor started showing on Day 2 why Las Vegas invested $35 million in him over the next three years. And he has continued to make plays throughout the last week or so.
USA Today's Levi Damien noted that Nailor hauled in a tough catch during practice last week, and ESPN's Ryan McFadden detailed a contested two-handed grab that Nailor made, despite Kirk Cousins not throwing a perfect ball and Eric Stokes blanketing him in coverage.
That is the kind of spark and impact that this Raiders receiving corps needs. But this showing wasn't just a flash in the pan, as Nailor continued to get more involved with the offense, catching a touchdown from Fernando Mendoza while running with the 2s, and another from Cousins with the 1s.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Sam Gordon also mentioned earlier this week that Cousins seems to be getting in a rhythm with two players: Nailor and Brock Bowers. That is great company to be in for the veteran wideout who came to Las Vegas via the open market.
Now, Nailor hasn't been perfect. He dropped a pass during Sunday's practice, and he struggled at times against Stokes in 1-on-1 drills. But Nailor also beat Treydan Stukes, a promising young defensive back, and caught a few nice balls from Cousins when the pads came on.
Overall, after a rough start to training camp for the Raiders' wide receivers, Nailor is starting to come along nicely. Although the rest of the group needs to start showing up as Nailor has, this is a good sign for Las Vegas to have at least one veteran making a difference during summer practices.
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