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Unexpected Rookie Taking First-Team Reps at Raiders OTAs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi Dombro | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 7:00 PM ET

John Spytek is taking a different approach as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders. He and new head coach Pete Carroll let several big contributors leave during free agency this offseason in favor of other players.

Their decision to let both starting linebackers go and part ways with four of their five starting defensive backs was met with a bit of hesitancy from Raider Nation. However, they have built both a younger and cheaper roster than last year's four-win team, which is promising for a franchise that has long struggled.

With cornerbacks Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones no longer with the Silver and Black, the team added 2021 first-rounder Eric Stokes during free agency and used a third-round pick on Iowa State's Darien Porter.

Porter was seen as a bit of a project considering he switched from wide receiver to cornerback while in college. He started just seven games at cornerback for the Cyclones, but the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reported that he was taking first-team reps during Raiders OTAs.

"Based on the work he got in OTAs — he’s been working with the first team opposite Eric Stokes — Porter is either on the fast track to a major role or the Raiders are throwing as much as possible at him to help expedite his development," Bonsignore wrote.

This news is a bit unexpected considering 2023 fourth-round pick Jakorian Bennett was above-average in his starting role last season and both Stokes and Decamerion Richardson have more experience.

It is no surprise, however, that the team is investing heavily in Porter because he embodies everything that Pete Carroll loves in a cornerback. At nearly 6-foot-4 with 33 and 1/8-inch arms, he has the ideal frame and physical play style that Carroll covets in a defensive back.

Carroll may be throwing the rookie into the fire during OTAs and plans on implementing Bennett as a starter once he is fully recovered from his shoulder injury. However, it is also possible that Carroll found a diamond in the rough once again and the Raiders will rely on Porter heavily as a rookie.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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