Raiders’ Khalil Mack gets high praise from Joe Thomas

Raiders star pass-rusher Khalil Mack is expected to holdout Thursday when the team reports to Napa, California, for the first day of training camp. And in do so, he has become a lightning rod of opinions around the team.

Mack is seeking a contract extension that could make him the highest paid defender in the league but it appears he and the team aren’t close on a new deal.

Maybe high praise from arguably the best left tackle of the last decade could speed things up in favor of Mack.

Here’s what recently retired Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas had to say on NFL Network this week when asked which current pass-rusher gave him the most problems:

“Khalil Mack is that guy from the moment he stepped in the league. When you’re watching film, you’re going, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do to be able to stop this guy,’ because he’s got it all.

“He can stop the run, he can stop the pass, he’s got a bunch of different pass-rush moves, he’s fast, he’s quick, he’s explosive, he can run right through you, he can run around you. When a guy can do all those things, they’re extremely dangerous.”

The strong words of the future Hall of Famer might fall on deaf ears, however. The Raiders and Mack have made no progress on a new deal, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

“Khalil Mack is a situation where there really is no end in sight,” Rapoport said on the league’s channel this week. “There’s been no progress. Jon Gruden has been pretty outspoken about needing to get that situation handled. It’s just not clear how exactly.”

Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin is missing his partner in crime not being at team workouts.

“Would be much easier with (Mack) on either side. Just saying,” Irvin tweeted Wednesday.

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Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.