Defensive tackles Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler, the Las Vegas Raiders' two defensive draftees from 2022, now have their rookie seasons under their belt.
For Farrell, it wasn't the most consistent first year, but it certainly was promising.
The bulk of his contributions came around Weeks 5-10, as he took a total of 112 defensive snaps during that span. Farrell would finish the season with just 12 tackles and two quarterback hits in nine games played.
"Rookie years, obviously they can be different for everybody," said Raiders Head Coach Josh McDaniels when he addressed the media on Thursday. "Neil obviously came from a pretty decorated college program and worked hard to try and get in there and create a role for himself. That’s not always easy depending on what room you’re in as a rookie. [He] came back in really good shape. I think a lot of times you see these first-year guys – they go through their first year, it’s kind of a crash course on what it requires of you physically, mentally, emotionally, what kind of time it requires of you away from the building to be prepared to compete consistently at a high level at this level. And I think Neil has done all the right things. Like I said, he’s in really good condition. I don’t want to say he’s changed his entire body, but there’s an element of that that you can already see. So, I’m excited to see what he does."
Butler didn't see nearly as much field time as Farrell last season, but McDaniels has been impressed with the work the former fifth-round pick has put in during the offseason.
"[I] mean two guys [Farrell and Butler] that have been here in our offseason program the entire time. Honestly, they both came back early to do some work on their own with our strength staff. That’s what you can ask from a guy going into a second year. You hope they learn from the things that might’ve been tougher their first year, but I know he knows he’s in a competitive room. We’ve got a lot of guys in there that are competing to ultimately play. This time of the year is really more about technique and fundamentals obviously, the physical part will come later, but I like so far what Neil is trying to do and the frame of mind that he’s in.”
OTA Offseason workouts: June 12-15
Mandatory Minicamp: June 6-8
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