One Raiders Player Worth Rooting for This Season

There is one up-and-coming Las Vegas Raiders player who is especially worth cheering for this upcoming season.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' defensive backfield has undergone nearly a complete overhaul. After several critical departures in free agency, including safety Tre'von Moehrig, the Raiders have had to adjust to an essentially new group of players in their defensive backfield.

Last season, the Raiders returned every starter on defense except for one. It will be a completely different case this upcoming season, as the Raiders' defense has many new faces on it.

Still, there is one player on the Raiders' defense who has developed into a starter after years of quietly improving.

Dan Parr of NFL.com recently released a list of one player from each team in the American Football Conference worth rooting for. Raiders veteran safety Isaiah Pola-Mao was the player Parr chose for the Raiders.

"Pola-Mao might be the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, but this is not a case of nepotism run amok. Pola-Mao considered giving up football after a disappointing senior season at USC. He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and went undrafted in 2022," Parr said.

"After battling his way onto the Raiders’ roster as a backup safety/special teamer during his first two NFL campaigns, injuries thrust Pola-Mao into the starting lineup early last season, and he performed well enough to earn a two-year contract from the franchise’s new regime. For the first time, he’s getting a chance to enter the season as a starter, but it doesn’t sound like he’s taking anything for granted."

Earlier this offseason, Pola-Mao noted that his offseason preparation has prepared him to be a dependable starter on a Raiders' defense that has plenty of questions surrounding it.

“I think it's just preparation. It builds confidence, and I preach that all the time to the young guys. But I think it just starts with a daily grind. And it starts with Maxx [Crosby]. Everybody's trying to get better every day, so we kind of just follow his lead and follow PG’s [Patrick Graham’s] lead. And of course, Pete [Carroll] is always talking about that. So, I mean, it's pretty easy to fall in line," Pola-Mao said.

Las Vegas needs Pola-Mao and the rest of its secondary to outperform expectations this upcoming season. The unit will undoubtedly be tested.

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