Raiders rookie tight end quickly getting up to speed

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — It never really mattered what the stopwatch said about Michael Mayer’s speed when he was at Notre Dame.

The record-breaking tight end consistently worked himself open, often by a wide margin, a trait that showed up again over and over on film.

His elite ability to set up defenders and run precise routes allowed him to leave South Bend as perhaps the greatest tight end to come out of a school known for producing talent at the position.

Now he has brought that ability to the Raiders and is looking forward to showcasing those skills at the NFL level.

“The first thing is you have to know what you’re doing, right?,” Mayer said of the key to breaking free from coverage and creating space for the quarterback to throw him the ball. “There’s so much that goes into it, people don’t realize, non-football players. So … it’s really about learning and adjusting to the game.”

He also has plenty of speed, contrary to what some scouting reports and social media pundits said going into the draft.

“When I’m running, I don’t look that fast, but I think I’m pretty fast,” he said after Friday’s practice at the Greenbrier. “I ran a 4.7 at the combine and (Vikings star) T.J. Hockenson was around there too. It’s subjective. People think whatever they think, but I’m just trying to go out there and play my best.”

He did that in his NFL debut on Sunday against the Broncos. Mayer played 29 offensive snaps and was involved as a blocker and as a receiver, though he was not targeted on any of his routes.

“I think there are still a lot of things I need to work on as any rookie, but I felt pretty good out there,” he said.

Mayer’s second game will be Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y., against the Bills, who drafted tight end Dalton Kincaid ahead of Mayer in the NFL draft.

The Raiders are just as pleased to have seen Mayer fall to them.

McDaniels has already liked what he’s seen from Mayer, even if it didn’t show up in the stat sheet on Sunday.

“He didn’t have a bunch of opportunities in the passing game,” coach Josh McDaniels said. “It was a very unique game in that regard, but he saw different techniques.”

Mayer and all of the other pass-catchers may have to take on some additional responsibilities in the passing game on Sunday with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers ruled out with a concussion after leading the team in receiving last week.

He’s eager to show how much he’s learning each week.

“I like to think a lot of the things I did in college in terms of getting open as a route runner will work in the NFL, but I think that’s a little bit of trial and error,” Mayer said “Figure some things out. Will this work? You know, is the safety I’m going against this week pretty physical, is he going to get his hands on me, is he going to grab me, things like that. Game plan throughout the week.”

Then go out, get open and catch passes. It’s just what he does. But he’s not about to measure himself against any clock, any statistic or any tight end drafted in front of him.

“Winning,” he said of what drives him. “I really like to win. It’s a good feeling to start out 1-0. We’re just going to keep trying to stack them and play our best ball every game and give us the best opportunity to win every week.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.