Raiders Minicamp: 3 Young Offensive Standouts Turning Heads

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders just completed their second day of the 2026 mandatory minicamp, and the change is tangible and evident. The colors and location are the same, but this is not the Silver and Black franchise I covered during my first six years in the valley.

A Veteran Tells All

QB Kirk Cousins has only been here a few weeks, but when asked to describe the atmosphere that Klint Kubiak is establishing and what is coming, it should overjoy Raider Nation, as the words are not indicative of the collapse in 2025, or the decades of mediocrity before it.

“I just think football matters to him, there's an intensity there, there's an attention to detail, there's an urgency, probably the best word that I've sensed from him as a head coach that I think is really good for our football team. But it does cost me when I'm driving into work in the morning, I'm kind of like, I feel it. I'm like, 'I better be on today.'"

"I check my watch like four times to make sure I'm on time or early, because I just feel like he brings the same sense of urgency that great coaches do, right? And it's certainly not a laid-back atmosphere, I'll just say that, and I think that's a positive, but I think that comes with being a head coach.’

Cousins elaborated, adding, “You feel that weight as a head coach, and it's not an easy position to sit in. It can be lonely at the top, and I think he, as the head coach, also has to make sure that we're running a tight ship and that we're a great operation. And I think we all feel that urgency. I mean, pre-practice in the locker room, people feel that, and I think that can be a healthy thing, right?"

"It can bring out the best in us, but the last two months, it's not a picnic. We're not out here just kind of having fun, like it's work, and you feel that in the locker room, pre-practice, the way guys' mindset is, and just guys are really focused, are going over their stuff two or three times, because they don't want to be the guy who made the mental error. So, I think that's a really positive thing, but it's not a country club."

Young Offensive Players Who Are Flashing

There are many young players on this team. I interpret the term' youth' as a player in the first three years of NFL eligibility.

I shocked many fans when I predicted as few as eight, and as many as 12 rookies would make the team, and when you add that to the 2025 class, and even some from 2024, the bright, youthful future of the Silver and Black is on display.

Multiple players are shining early. Today I am going to mention three from the offense: one from each of those different classes who are standing out, and have the attention of those in the organization, not just the media.

No. 1: 2024 RB Dylan Laube

Las Vegas Raiders RB Dylan Laube | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The sixth-round pick arrived with a ton of question marks. He quickly answered those by not being big; he is the blue-collar representative of every man. With a shut mouth and a work ethic unrivaled by any, the pride of the Northeastern United States had a good rookie year for a player picked where he was picked.

Last year’s staff didn’t believe in him, and I remember asking a Raiders coach during the offseason about him, who literally said to me, “Who’s that?” When you are a player on an NFL roster and a coach doesn’t know who you are, that is a concern.

Laube never blinked, held the line, one spot, and had a decent sophomore season, despite the dysfunction around him.

Now the tables have turned. It took Laube all of about a cup of coffee to win the staff's affinity. They admire his toughness, his passion for every facet of the game, and the youngster has stood out for his aggressive attack on the playbook, matched only by the way he plays.

Las Vegas Raiders Dylan Laube | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Laube may be small in size, but as the only member of the organization who described him to me, “You know that old line about the size of the fight in the dog is more important than the size of the dog? That kid is the size of one of these mountains with the fight in him. He’s a football player.”

A good sign, a very good sign from Laube.

No. 2: 2025 IOL Caleb Rogers

So many players were set back in 2025 by a dysfunctional coaching staff, but perhaps none suffered more than Rogers. Multiple NFL teams were salivating to add him in the 2025 NFL Draft, but superstar GM John Spytek did his usual “Spyteking” and swooped in and chose him.

The sophomore has shone with the new staff, showing a sponge-like appetite for learning and a teachable attitude that has people in other roles taking notice.

He is pushing for a starting job, and I predict that at some point this season, he will step into the starter's role and never relinquish it.

What has impressed coaches and teammates alike is that he has zero ego. Credit the doctrine of “Spyteking” in that they want players who are motivated by the results, not the status of being a professional football player.

Las Vegas Raiders IOL Caleb Rogers | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Rogers was described best to me by a member of the organization who said, “He doesn’t act tough, he is. Like a real rich guy isn’t trying to impress you that he is rich, he doesn’t have to pretend to be tough, he is. I love that kid.”

Rogers is a monster, 6’4”, 315 pounds, is incredibly athletic, and if Rick Dennison told him to run through Mt. Charleston overlooking Vegas, Elon Musk would be jealous of the hole who bore through it.

Rogers has shone like the sun this offseason because of that blue-collar work ethic and commitment to toughness.

No. 3: 2026 WR Malik Benson

Malik Benson has an interesting skill set, but is also on a staff that knows his limitations and won’t ask him to do what he can’t. What makes Benson impressive, similar to Laube and Rogers, is his work ethic and commitment to his craft.

Many wide receivers are divas, but that hasn’t manifested itself once in the desert. The Raiders were very honest with Benson about what it would take for him to become a viable NFL player, and the reason he fell to the sixth round (the Raiders had him rated higher) was the lack of development on some of those limitations.

To his credit, he has worked hard on his craft, with no sign of ego or diva-like behavior, and when asked, he has. He has shown the mental acumen it takes to be excellent, and the work ethic to get there.

Las Vegas Raiders Kint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

When asked to make plays, he has, and while he has a long way to go, I can tell you he has flashed and even shone early for the Silver and Black.

This is a complete rebuild for the Raiders, and at no position are they weaker than at wide receiver. Benson could help himself immensely on the road he is on and become a jewel in Spytek's crown.

Tomorrow, I will take a look at three on the defense.

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