The Raiders signed two players Monday after a three-day rookie camp in which 35 players tried out alongside the 26 other draft picks, undrafted free agents and first-year players on hand.
North Carolina State punter A.J. Cole kicked well over the weekend and earned a contract, with the Raiders waiving Drew Kaser. Cole will now compete with incumbent Johnny Townsend for the starting job.
Advertisem*nt
It’s an uphill battle, as the Raiders drafted Townsend in the fifth round last year and coach Jon Gruden and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia would be admitting a pretty big mistake. But Townsend was bad as a rookie, finishing 30th in the league in net average at 38.3 yards per kick.
Former Raider Marquette King has even apologized to Gruden for some of his comments on TV and social media and would like a chance to compete if the job really is open.
The 6-foot-4 Cole averaged 42.4 yards per punt last season for the Wolfpack.
The Raiders also signed Nichols State defensive tackle Ronald Ollie on Monday. You might know Ollie from “Last Chance U,” the Netflix documentary series about the football team at East Mississippi Community College.
Here’s a quick look at Ollie and the 10 other undrafted free agents who the Raiders have signed (besides Cole). We have divided them into two groups, sleepers and sightseers, and put them in order of their chances of making the Raiders’ 53-man roster.
We love fans’ enthusiasm, but there are no locks or anything close to that in May.
Sleepers
Keelan Doss, WR, UC Davis, 6-3, 213
Gruden told Doss that he had a solid chance of making the team, and Doss turned down more money elsewhere to play for his favorite team growing up. The Alameda native set school records at UC Davis for career receptions (312), receiving yards (4,069) and 100-yard games (19). He’s a good route runner but does have a history of injuries dating back to high school. Doss projected as a fourth-round pick but a pectoral injury scared off teams. He did participate in the rookie camp so those fears appear to be unfounded.
Lester Cotton Sr., G, Alabama, 6-4, 325
The Raiders didn’t draft a guard, so the former Alabama starter has a chance to make the roster. Gabe Jackson and Denzelle Good are the starters as of now (the Raiders did bring in Richie Incognito for a workout Monday) but behind them is only Chaz Green and Denver Kirkland.
Advertisem*nt
Te’von Coney, LB, Notre Dame, 6-1, 229
The Raiders know Coney from their Senior Bowl week. He played four years at Notre Dame and had pretty solid film (Pro Football Focus grades him very high against the run and overall) but his speed and change of direction were question marks even before his pro day. And then he ran a 4.72 40-yard dash and didn’t do well in the other drills, either.
I wasn’t very high last season on Marquel Lee, Jason Cabinda and Nicholas Morrow as potential starters, but I think they will be very hard to beat out as backups. (Tahir Whitehead, Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall are starting).
Alec Ingold, FB, Wisconsin, 6-1, 242
Ingold was thought by many to be the best fullback in the draft. Which tells you all you need to know about fullbacks in the NFL. A very good blocker, he carried the ball 103 times in 51 games and scored 17 touchdowns. He was also at the Senior Bowl. I would be pretty surprised if he makes it because Bisaccia loves Keith Smith.
Ronald Ollie, DT, Nicholls State, 6-2, 292
The 6-foot-2, 292-pound Ollie had five sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss last season. He showed why he was always on college and pro teams’ radar when he ran a 4.87 40 at his pro day. The Raiders have a lot of defensive tackles, though.
Sightseers
Koa Farmer, LB, Penn State, 6-1, 228
Had 12.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 28 starts. The former safety (who had originally committed to Cal) was a team captain at Penn State and ran a 4.48 40 at his pro day.
Dylan Mabin, CB, Fordham, 6-1, 196
Earned first-team All-Patriot League honors after putting up 49 tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown and a team-high 10 passes defended.
Andre James, T, UCLA, 6-4, 299
Rejoins old buddy Kolton Miller. James started 32 games for the Bruins, like Miller, at both left and right tackle. We’re assuming Brandon Parker, with his added muscle, locks down the swing tackle spot and veterans David Sharpe and Justin Murray pick up any scraps, leaving James with the goal of making the practice squad. Which is a pretty sweet gig.
Advertisem*nt
Lukayus McNeil, G, Louisville, 6-5, 310
Started 46 games and played a mix of both guard and tackle.
Keisean Nixon, CB, South Carolina, 5-10, 196
A transfer from Arizona Western College, Nixon broke up nine passes last season.
Tyler Roemer, T, San Diego State, 6-6, 312
Started at left tackle for 23 games for the Aztecs. That was before he was suspended for the last two games and kicked off the team. Roemer said he will only disclose why to teams that interviewed him.
Of the signing bonuses that were released by agents, Roemer was on the bottom end:Farmer ($10,000), Ingold ($10,000), James ($10,000), Coney ($9,000), Cotton ($7,500), McNeil ($5,000) and Roemer ($2,500).
Raiders make another trade with Bears
The Raiders traded kicker Eddy Piñeiro to the Bears for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2021. The Raiders were high on Piñeiro last season when they signed him out of Florida but a groin injury eventually opened the door for Daniel Carlson, who had been cut by the Vikings.
Carlson staked his claim to the job by setting a team record for accuracy (94 percent) by hitting 16 of 17 field-goal attempts in 10 games.
(Photo of Lester Cotton Sr.: Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Vic Tafur is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL. He previously worked for 12 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and also writes about boxing and mixed martial arts. Follow Vic on Twitter @VicTafur
