Michael Mayer Got First NFL Game Under His Belt

Of all the expectations behind held against the Las Vegas Raiders' rookie class, tight end Michael Mayers' are arguably the highest.

The second-round pick out of Notre Dame has the tools to be an above-average NFL receiver, and throughout the offseason, has even been compared to some of the greats.

Mayer's potential -- at this beginning stage in his NFL career -- has yet to be truly displayed, though.

The 22-year-old tight end played in his first preseason game when the Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 34-17, on Saturday.

Mayer finished with only one reception for three yards and played but five snaps.

"He got his feet wet and he did some decent things, and then he made some mistakes," Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels said when he addressed the media after the win. "But again, he's the same as those other guys, and he's either going do it right or he'll learn from the opportunity. So, you know, this week coming up will be a big week for those guys who didn't play in the San Francisco game. Now they got their first game action. There's a little bit of a different taste in your mouth. You kind of understand the speed of the game, it's picking up a little bit. So they'll have an opportunity to improve on some of those things this week.”

The Raiders, of course, no longer have their top-two tight ends from last season, Darren Waller and Foster Moreau.

With the tight end rotation still not quite solidified, Mayer has a great opportunity to earn himself some valuable minutes this season.

Should he respond to his first game with a strong ending to training camp, he could certainly find himself in that position.

Perhaps he could even earn a starting role as soon as this season, but there's much he still has to prove to be in that conversation.

The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

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