Las Vegas Raiders: Expectations for rookies in 2020

Day 3 Picks

Tanner Muse, LB: Compete for a spot in the LB rotation, star on special teams

The Raiders could certainly view former Clemson safety Tanner Muse as a solution at the linebacker position along with the newly signed Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.

With that said, he may need some time to develop and transition to linebacker from safety, so their expectation for him has got to be to simply make himself competitive for a starting linebacker job, but really be a star on special teams.

John Simpson, OG: Be on stand-by for starting OG spot

The Raiders got a really nice value in the former starting offensive guard out of Clemson, a road grader with impressive strength and power.

There has been plenty of talk about the Raiders having Gabe Jackson on the trading block, and if he is not going to be with the team for the long haul, Simpson needs to prepare and work as though he’s going to be the starting guard.

His performance in camp could be the reason Jackson is either traded or kept around.

Amik Robertson, CB: Standout on special teams, be ready for nickel duties in 2021

For my money, Amik Robertson is maybe the best value in the entire 2020 NFL Draft.

He plays like a 6-foot-2, 200-plus pound cornerback out there despite being under 6-feet tall and smaller than most of the guys he faced up against.

Despite his lack of size, Robertson has no lack of ball skills or production, and he should be a tremendous nickel cornerback at the NFL level.

Early on, the expectation should be for him to stand out on special teams while preparing for an expanded role in year two on defense.