Chargers CB Tarheeb Still hit the ground running as a rookie in 2024, working his way into the starting lineup for the majority of the season as a fifth-round pick and intercepting four passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown. This spring has been spent making sure that wasn’t a one-year flash, and Still has found a somewhat unlikely mentor in veteran OLB Khalil Mack who nudged him into extra training sessions on Fridays.
“It’s a training session, but I’m also getting to ask him about life, ask him about football, things he’s learned, any gain he can really give me,” Still said via Omar Navarro of the team website. “Really just having a lot of conversations with Khalil about on the field stuff, off the field stuff. Really just soaking it all in and taking his advice.
“Khalil just showed me how to be intentional every day and taking advantage. Small incremental gains every day to get to where I want to be, to set myself up later.”
Los Angeles has high hopes for Still in his second year. Defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale praised his maturity in Year 2, while Still feels like the mental side of the game is slowing down.
“Tarheeb has done a great job of maturing,” Clinkscale said. “Overnight it just seems like he’s a different person and he’s doing a great job.”
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, especially film-wise,” Still added. “Being able to watch the film from last year, seeing what I did wrong, knowing where I have to improve at and also being able to take that next jump. Really just understanding where to be, when to be there, it’s really starting to make a lot more sense.”
Raiders HC Pete Carroll has had a history of targeting lengthy defensive backs, next in line is third-round rookie Darien Porter, who has been making strides during OTA’s, according to Raiders DB coach Marcus Robertson.
“I love the pick. I love the guy,” Robertson said, via Raiders Wire. “*He’s got a lot of physical gifts. He’s got the length, the speed. He is taking, to me, big leaps from one week to the next as far as the coaching and the training. Simply because of the fact that he just moved over basically from being a wide receiver to the defensive side of the ball late in his career in college. And...