Raiders-Vikings preview: The NFL’s next wave of stars

The Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings are two teams on the rise, two teams contending for playoff spots in 2015 that will treat the NFL and all of its fans to one of the most interesting games on the slate this weekend.

The Raiders are 4-4, battling for a wild card spot in the AFC with the Denver Broncos three games ahead already, while the Vikings have themselves at 6-2, tied for first place right now in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers. These teams are both maturing much quicker than probably anyone expected, though with the talent they have on the roster, it’s no question these two feature some of the brightest young stars in the NFL today.

QBs Derek Carr & Teddy Bridgewater

Teddy Bridgewater was the better quarterback of these two class of 2014 players in their rookie seasons, but it feels like Derek Carr has turned a corner this season and Bridgewater is a little bit stuck in neutral. That’s not been a problem for the Vikings, because “Teddy Throwsevelt” is helping lead them to victories.

And like I said before, they are tied for first place.

This is a huge road game for the Vikings and Bridgewater, who is coming off of a concussion from a cheap shot last week. He’s been cleared to play, and that’s good news for the Vikings who will need all hands on deck to match what could be a shootout with Derek Carr.

Forget second year quarterbacks. Derek Carr has been one of the best in the league this season, tossing 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions with a QB rating of 104.3. His completion percentage has jumped from 58 to 64 percent, and Carr is just making better decisions on the whole. This home game is huge for both him and the Raiders in proving that they have arrived, and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

WRs Stefon Diggs & Amari Cooper

I ranked the top 25 rookies in the NFL so far this season, and both Stefon Diggs and Amari Cooper made the final cut. We all expected the fourth overall pick Cooper to be great this season, and he has been, but Diggs came in after sitting out the first few games of the year and played his first game against the vaunted defense in Denver, and he absolutely shredded them.

Diggs and Cooper look like two of the best young receivers in the league, both dynamic in their own ways.

Cooper is a technician as a route runner. He has deceptive speed and quickness and knows how to get separation from a defensive back. There’s really nothing on film that you notice that he can’t do. He is a young player without a real gaping hole in his game, which has helped the young Carr progress so well this season.

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Couple that with the fact that Michael Crabtree has been — dare I say — reborn in Oakland, and Cooper has plenty of room to grow in this offense.

Diggs has just come in and made catch after catch, including one of the best diving touchdown grabs of the year. But he’s not just coming in and making big plays — Diggs is able to do the dirty work, working the sideline and the middle of the field as well as going deep and making big plays on the ball.

These two players are fun to watch, and I think they will put on a show Sunday.

Khalil Mack & the Vikings’ Defense

The Oakland Raiders don’t have a ton defensively that they are hanging their hats on so far this season, but Khalil Mack is a building block that any team in the NFL would covet. He is an absolute stud vs. the run, and when he figures out how to close on the quarterback a little bit better, he’s going to be an unstoppable force as an edge player.

So far this season, Mack has 27 tackles and four sacks with a forced fumble, but his impact is felt in so much more than just the stat sheet.

Defensively for the Vikings, things are incredibly interesting. They have a playmaker or two — or three — at every level of this defense.

Everything starts in the secondary with Harrison Smith, who might be the best player on a very young, very talented, very hungry defensive unit. Smith is a hard hitter, but he’s also incredibly instinctive when the ball is in the air and has a knack for making plays all over the field.

Joining him in the secondary are the talented youngsters and former first round picks Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes, though the latter isn’t starting just yet. Smith, Rhodes, and Waynes are all first round picks made by the Vikings within the last four years.

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Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks were not each picked in the first round, but they did both go to UCLA and I can’t confirm but they may have also stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night…

Barr was a first round pick in 2014, and is an absolute stud. Kendricks should have been a first round pick, but the Vikings stole him in the second and he’s also an absolute stud. Here’s some irony for you: Despite their roles having been reversed in college (Barr a pass rusher, Kendricks more the all-around player), Kendricks is the one who is currently second on the Vikings with 4 sacks behind Everson Griffen’s 4.5.

Also defensively for the Vikings, you have a former first round pick in Sharrif Floyd, a player who was highly sought after in the 2013 NFL Draft and fell down the board a ways. He has been a bit disappointing for the Vikes so far, but the talent is there.

Get Your Popcorn Ready

If you’re an NFL fan, this is going to be one of the most fun games to watch this week. These two teams boast some of the top young talent in the league, and with the battle at quarterback alone, we’ll get a show worth watching.