There are plenty of potential storylines to keep an eye on as the pre-draft truly kicks off in Indianapolis this week, particularly for the Raiders’ new braintrust.
Football
The Raiders are favored to win their first game under coach Josh McDaniels. Station Casinos made Las Vegas a 3-point favorite over Jacksonville in the Hall of Fame game.
The Raiders will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Hall of Fame game. Cliff Branch, who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame, will be honored in Canton at same time.
He was a fourth-round pick of Cincinnati out of Baylor in 2016 and played 47 games, including 37 starts, over four years with the Bengals despite missing his rookie year with a preseason knee injury.
What once was a relatively tedious process for NFL organizations, the NFL combine has become a made-for-TV event and de facto convention for the league’s power brokers.
For Derek Carr, his calling as a preacher is as strong as his passion to play football. As both callings blossom, so too does his ability to balance the two.
Speaking for first time since Raiders coaching change, Derek Carr talked about building a relationship with the team’s new leadership team and a potential new contract.
Raiders fans have plenty of questions on the eve of the combine and free agency, including whether new coach Josh McDaniels faces a challenge getting his players to buy into his vision.
The Raiders have significant needs at offensive line and wide receiver, and several quality players at those positions will be available in free agency.
UNLV has hired Raiders assistant wide receivers coach Nick Holz as offensive coordinator. He spent the past 10 years with the NFL team.
There’s some discrepancy on whom the Raiders might take with their first-round pick, and projecting that pick is harder than usual because there is a new regime in Las Vegas.
Raiders coach Josh McDaniels continues to round out his staff with the hiring of Kennedy Polamalu as running backs coach. He spent the past five seasons with the Vikings.
About two weeks after the NFL capped its longest season ever with the Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl, the combine begins in Indianapolis the first week of March.
Offensive lineman Jordan Meredith was with the Los Angeles Rams in training camp last season but cut at the end of training camp.
From the NFL draft to free agency, the Raiders have plenty of decisions to make as they try to lift the franchise to another level. And fans are curious.