OAKLAND – The Raiders didn’t play veteran starters in their exhibition opener. Their rookie class saw some action, including NFL draft picks expected to make an immediate impact.
Running back Josh Jacobs was the lone exception, sitting out to avoid contact in games that don’t matter.
Every other draft pick played at least a little, and found it positive to get feet wet early in the preseason.
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“I’m so happy that’s over with, for real,” No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell said. “You get those jitters out. You feel like you’re thinking too much. I got to get out there and finally play on an NFL field, play an NFL game. Going against somebody else, that was the best part about it. It was great to go against competition, really get in game situations. Go out and do the things you can’t really simulate in practice. Going against different sets before the pre-snap read, stuff like that. I was really, really happy that I went out there.”