Las Vegas Raiders mandatory minicamp: Biggest takeaways from Day 1

Mike Moraitis

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Las Vegas Raiders mandatory minicamp: Biggest takeaways from Day 1 image

The Las Vegas Raiders took the next step to finishing off the offseason program on Tuesday when the team opened up its three-day mandatory minicamp, which was open to the media.

After Tuesday, the Raiders will return to the practice field on Wednesday and Thursday before taking a month-plus break ahead of training camp in late July.

As far as practice was concerned, we got a pair of injury updates on key players, while one of the team's best made his offseason practice debut after not being involved during the voluntary portion of the offseason program.

Meanwhile, one Day 3 pick managed to stand out and should now be on everyone's radar, if he wasn't already. We'll talk about all of that and more as we take a look at the biggest takeaways from Day 1 of mandatory minicamp.

Jackson-Powers Johnson returns

Powers-Johnson missed significant time during the offseason program since he was forced to exit the first open practice of OTAs early due to an undisclosed injury. But thankfully, JPJ was out there on Tuesday taking part, according to multiple reports.

It remains to be seen how much the missed time will set him back. JPJ is expected to man one of the start guard spots in 2024.

Kolton Miller still rehabbing

According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, left tackle Kolton Miller did not take part in practice as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Miller has yet to take part in an offseason practice.

Reed adds that Miller is expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Who else was out?

Along with Miller, linebacker Darien Butler and defensive tackle Matthew Butler were both not practicing. It remains unknown what both are dealing with. Both players were absent from the last open session of OTAs, also.

Davante Adams sighting

We hadn't seen Davante Adams for the entirety of the voluntary portion of the offseason program, as he was apparently doing his own thing. However, Adams was out there on the field with his teammates on Tuesday taking part.

It isn't rare for established veterans like Adams to work separately during voluntary workouts, so nothing to see there.

Dylan Laube stands out

After being a standout during OTAs, 2024 sixth-round pick and running back Dylan Laube continued to do his thing on Tuesday. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Laube had a good day and even saw some reps with the first-team offense on passing downs.

Perhaps we need to start considering Laube as a candidate for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. On top of his abilities as a rusher and pass-catcher, Laube can work on special teams, including as a returner.

Christian Wilkins dominates

According to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins was "popping off" on Day 1, a sentiment that was echoed by Vic Tafur of The Athletic, who noted that Wilkins is off to a "helluva start" at minicamp.

Jakorian Bennett grabs INT

Per Levi Damien of Raiders Wire, cornerback Jakorian Bennett, who is vying for the No. 2 job opposite Jack Jones, made a standout play when he picked off quarterback Aidan O'Connell.

One a play late in practice, he broke the ice with the first takeaway for the Raiders defense. Aidan O’Connell rolled left and threw it short where Bennett stepped in front of it and hauled it in.

Despite a down rookie season, Bennett is the best hope the Raiders have to get starting-quality play from the second cornerback spot, as the other options are career backup Brandon Facyson and rookie Decamerion Richardson.

Right now, it would be surprising if Bennett isn't the other starting cornerback come Week 1.

Raiders' defense shines

Gardner Minshew gets more 1st-team reps

While we shouldn't read too much into this until it becomes a regular thing, it's still worth noting that Minshew saw the majority of the first-team reps on Tuesday, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.

While free agent veteran Gardner Minshew got the majority of the first-team reps in his quarterback competition with second-year returner Aidan O'Connell on Tuesday, neither QB distinguished himself particularly well in practice. There were numerous off-target throws and several miscommunications with wideouts, when the two weren't being harassed by the defensive line.

Up until this point, the two quarterbacks have split reps evenly. We'll see if things swing the other way on Wednesday. If not, it'll be a big sign that Minshew is ahead in this competition.

Praise for Aidan O'Connell

While the interception obviously wasn't ideal, O'Connell was having a "decent" practice before that, according to Levi Damien of Raiders Wire. Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes that O'Connell was more accurate than Gardner Minshew.

Neither Aidan O’Connell nor Gardner Minshew had a good day at practice, though O’Connell was the more accurate of the two. Teammates love O’Connell’s improved swagger and consider him one of the leaders, while Minshew is still getting his feet wet with his new team.

Minshew has more scrambling ability and likes to make plays off-script, so the practice setting may favor O’Connell’s plant-and-rip-it style. It’s why we may not see one of them truly take hold of the starting job until the preseason games.

He also received some praise from multiple teammates.

“AOC had a hell of a day today," cornerback Nate Hobbs said, per Levi Edwards of Raiders.com. "Even as a teammate, he threw some balls I forgot he could make.”

“He conducts himself like a veteran," passing-game coordinator Scott Turner said of the second-year quarterback, per Edwards. "But he’s one of the boys too. He’s earned the trust of the locker room.”

Star edge rusher Maxx Crosby also noted how O'Connell has "come a long way" and is beginning to exchange smack talk to the defense, according to Vegas Sports Today, which displays more confidence.

Damien added that O'Connell's best throw of the day came on a "perfect throw to the back left corner of the end zone for Jalen Guyton."

Kick returners

According to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com, Laube, cornerbacks Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones and wide receiver DJ Turner were among the players who returned kicks.

How the O-line shook out

Tafur reports that Dylan Parham was playing right guard next to Thayer Munford, so it would appear he is indeed moving to the right side after playing on the left in 2023. With JPJ working his way back after missing significant time, it was Cody Whitehair getting first-team reps at left guard, while Andrus Peat played at left tackle with Miller sidelined.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.