Silver And Black Pride
Mid- and late-round picks give Las Vegas youth, energy in the trenches
As the Las Vegas Raiders embark on the Pete Carroll era, there’s one thing clear when players see their new head coach on the field: Energy.
Veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers provided hilarious insight on the Carroll’s energy level as the Silver & Black embark on offseason activities.
“I don’t know how he doing it, honestly. There’s gotta be some type of drug out there or something,” Meyers humorously said after the team’s offseason workout session this past Thursday.
Meyers lauded the Raiders new head coach’s ability to get the players moving in the right direction. Almost like the players need to match their super veteran head coach’s passion lest they be noticed as stragglers. And quite honestly, if a player can’t match or surpass Carroll’s liveliness, they won’t be in Las Vegas long.
Thus, all eyes on the newest and youngest Raiders on the roster: The rookies.
Namely defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway — taken with the 135th pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft — and JJ Pegues — picked at 180th overall in the sixth round.
What can Raider Nation expect out of the neophyte defenders in Year 1?
Athleticism, power, and frenetic energy.
Our Matt Holder did an excellent job breaking down film on both Hemingway and Pegues. Holder highlighted the athleticism and power Hemingway brings from South Carolina. He also showcased how stout Pegues can be as both a run defender and pass rusher, as well as an intriguing option on offense, too boot.
There’s a glut at defensive tackle with nine players in the position group — 10 had it not been for the Raiders moving International Pathway Program signee Laki Tasi to offensive line.
That number of course will be dwindled and let’s take a look at how the mid- and late-round Raiders selections in this past draft can carve their spot in the 53-man roster.
At 6-foot-3 and 284 pounds, Hemingway displayed quick feet, suddenness, an brute force for the South Carolina Gamecocks defense.
Labeled as a “tweener” by some due to his lighter weight and slender frame compared to middle and bottom heavy contemporaries, Hemingway has experience on the edge as a defensive end and inside as a defensive tackle. Hemingway must take advantage of that versatility as the offseason continues to show defensive line boss Rob Leonard, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and Carroll he can be moved around and be effective and productive.
Hemingway wasn’t a high-volume sack producer at South Carolina — he finished with 9.5 career sacks with four being his highest output in 2022 and 2024 — but his quickness and suddenness made him a disruptive presence in the middle. The Raiders can’t have enough of that and Hemingway would be wise to sit under the learning tree with Adam Butler and Christian Wilkins (when he’s able to participate in practices).
Consistency is elusive to Hemingway’s game and the...
