Jenkins Encouraged by Young Raiders' Development

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle John Jenkins found a new appreciation for football watching young players develop.

One of the most invaluable things a veteran NFL player can do is bring along young players and teach them lessons about life and football. 

That’s what Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle John Jenkins did in 2023, his first season with the Silver and Black. Jenkins built a strong rapport with players like Maxx Crosby, Tyree Wilson, Malcolm Koonce, and Adam Butler. 

That rapport and strongly built culture was so influential to Jenkins that he re-signed with the Raiders this offseason. He can now continue to form strong relationships with his teammates and help young players like Koonce and Wilson develop. 

Jenkins and the aforementioned defensive linemen joined Crosby on the latest episode of his podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby," to discuss what he’s seen from his teammates’ development. 

“It’s dope,” he said. “My OGs were the Jonathan Vilmas, the Malcolm Jenkins’, the Roman Harpers, Will Smith, rest in peace. They always told me, ‘Stay focused, keep your head down and keep grinding. We say don’t pay attention to outside noise, but it’s hard not to pay attention to outside noise.

“You get all the ‘Maxx is the only guy, he needs help, he needs help.’ But I was a proud vet when I saw Tyree develop. He’s putting in that extra work, going out before we even have practice, he’s going out there trying to beat Maxx to the field to work on his technique. Malcolm’s doing the same thing and then actually seeing these guys develop their technique and then start flourishing because of the fact that they would start putting that extra grind in.

“It was beautiful because now, as a vet, you’re looking at it like, ‘Man, why am I wasting my time here? Why am I wasting my time with guys who don’t take this seriously?’ But they did take it seriously. That was the difference. It made me happy because now I’m like, ‘I can rock with this.’ It made me want to play even more.” 

As a veteran, Jenkins just wants to win. He was encouraged to see young players like Koonce and Wilson show that they also wanted to win, which helped him buy into the Raiders’ culture.

Click here to watch the entire episode with Crosby and his defensive line teammates.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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