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Raiders rookie OL Caleb Rogers lays down the hammer on the expectations he has set for himself

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated May 12, 2025 9:44 AM ET

When teams draft their players for that upcoming season, there usually isn't a lot of expectation of those players being legends, or even Hall of Famers. Sure, there are the can't-miss guys, but usually we don't expect third-round guys to be some of the greats.

That doesn't mean it can't happen, because the Raiders have plenty of guys who weren't first-round picks in the history of their franchise who were super successful. However, it does get kind of weird to hear some of these rookies today place high expectations on themselves.

If anything, though, it tells me that the player really believes in himself and the process he is about to put himself through. That doesn't tell me he is cocky, but it tells me he's determined to do whatever he can. And this isn't a guy saying he will be a legend, but a guy saying he wants to leave a great legacy.

The Raiders drafted a guy on Day 2 that is setting the bar for himself already, and he's pretty blunt about it.

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"I mean, I'm also personally just trying to set my own standard for how guys are going to see just how I operate in the building, the type of pro I want to be, type of player I want to be," offensive guard Caleb Rogers told reporters during the first day of Raiders 2-25 rookie minicamp. "I want to be here for a really long time. I want to build a legacy here, and so, I mean, that starts right now by just setting the standard and being consistent and sticking to it."

Rogers comes off as one of the guys who just wants to win, and he's loyal, wants to be with one team his entire career. I mean, he's been a Raider the last few years, being that he played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and he's going to continue that for at least the next four years.

The Raiders' first offensive lineman they drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft was Rogers, and they got a guy who can play just about every single position on the offensive line. When they drafted him, he told them he wanted to play wherever he was needed. And, he wants to be great.

It's appearing like the character aspect of the pick makes a ton of sense. That's the type of guys that Pete Carroll always took when he was with the Seattle Seahawks and that John Spytek took when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And, both of those teams and franchises got Super Bowl wins.

Now, he has to put his money where his mouth is.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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