Raiders Rookie, Sophomore Power Rankings: Youth Movement Hits Snag

The Las Vegas Raiders spent the offseason making wholesale changes to their coaching staff and roster. Those changes have paid immediate dividends, with the Raiders sprinting out to a 3-0 start to the season. They are unquestionably a better team than last year's team.

However, the last two weeks have confirmed that a sizeable gap remains between the Raiders and the league's elite. Las Vegas entered the season knowing they're far from a finished product and are in the early stages of a rebuild that will take more than one offseason.

Las Vegas' Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots were tough losses for a Raiders team that had reason to be cautiously optimistic heading into both games. Yet as Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak noted, Week 5 was a bad day for everyone in silver and black.

“Obviously, yesterday was not up to our standard. It's not what we want our football to look like. We have a whole lot to prove to ourselves and our fans this week. Really looking forward to playing in front of our fans this week. And our men, our leadership, our coaches, we're up to the challenge, and we have to bounce back,” Kubiak said the day after the game.

In the past two offseasons, the Raiders drafted several players they expect to make an impact this season and beyond. Many of those players were thrust into starting roles and heavy playing time early in their careers.

Below are the power rankings of the Raiders' rookie and sophomore players who had a chance to make a legitimate impact in Sunday's loss to the Patriots. It was a long, forgettable day for the rookies, sophomores, and veterans alike.

QB Fernando Mendoza

The Raiders' rookie finally got some regular-season action. Las Vegas' coaching staff put Mendoza in the game with no chance of a comeback. It took the pressure off Mendoza during his first snaps in a meaningful regular-season game.

Mendoza only played one drive, but completed his first five passes in a row. He finished with six completions on eight pass attempts. The plays did not amount to much, but they showed what was possible with Mendoza. He may already give the team its best chance to beat elite teams.

CB Darien Porter

Mendoza was one of the few bright spots for the Raiders' rookies and sophomores, and for the team overall. Although he gave up a few plays, Porter had a few solid ones. Porter had arguably the least-worst game of any rookie or sophomore in Sunday's ugly loss.

RB Ashton Jeanty

Jeanty played behind one of the league's worst offensive lines in his rookie season, breaking the franchise's rookie record for scrimmage yards. He then suffered an ankle injury shortly before the regular season began.

Between his injury and the offensive deficiencies elsewhere, Jeanty is in a tough spot. Still, the second-year back continues to help keep the Raiders' passing game alive.

Kubiak acknowledged that Jeanty's health is being addressed as best as the team's medical staff can.

“It's just a weekly thing that we're battling with him, with his teammates. I have a ton of confidence in our training staff. They do a great job of getting our guys available for the game and continuing to get them healthy, whether it's Ashton [Jeanty] or anybody on the roster. A lot of guys are beat up, it's that time of the year, and it's up to us at the end of the day to make the decision if they can go or not," Kubiak said.

CB Hezekiah Masses

Masses showed his potential early. However, the past two weeks have been the kind of humbling experience nearly every productive cornerback in the league has had early in their careers. Masses has been thrown to a lot early, but he has the potential to handle it.

It will be interesting to see how he bounces back mentally and physically this week.

S Treydan Stukes

Masses and Stukes can be switched on this list, as the defensive backfield struggled overall against the Patriots. More than anything, Stukes' inexperience was on display several times while trying to find certain route concepts—still, there was plenty of blame to go around for Sunday's loss.

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