Which of the Raiders’ undrafted free agents have the best chance to make the roster?

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 23: Maryland Terrapins cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard (3) begins to backpedal after the snap during a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Maryland Terrapins on September 23, 2023 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Vic Tafur
May 3, 2024

The Las Vegas Raiders quickly announced their list of undrafted free agents after last week’s NFL Draft, and there were a lot of names given the turnover following the demise of the last regime.

The Raiders are now up to 87 players, but who among the 17 new faces has an actual shot to make the Week 1 roster? We followed the money and checked in with scouts.

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Ja’Quan Sheppard, CB, Maryland, 6-1, 201

While many scouts think Sheppard may need a redshirt year on the practice squad, the Raiders are thinking maybe he doesn’t. They gave Sheppard $230,000 to sign as an undrafted free agent.

“This guy is how you build cornerbacks in a lab,” Shrine Bowl director of football operations Eric Galko said. “He is physically impressive with some very inconsistent tape. At worst, he can compete for a special teams role. With good coaching, this guy can be a starting cornerback in the NFL. He is physically talented. He just hasn’t put it all together yet.”

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After four seasons at Cincinnati, Sheppard transferred to Maryland to help fill the void left by the departure of Jakorian Bennett, a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2023. Sheppard struggled at first — he has some balance and panic issues that need to be fixed — but finished with a team-high eight pass breakups, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten.

If the Raiders sign a veteran free agent in the next few weeks, Sheppard might need to beat out Bennett for a roster spot.

Ron Stone Jr., DE, Washington State, 6-3, 246

His dad was a guard who played the last two years of a 12-year pro career with the Raiders. Stone is an all-effort edge rusher who doesn’t have great explosiveness and can be overpowered in the run game.

Stone finished last season with five sacks — two in one game against Wisconsin — and 59 tackles, including 11 for loss. The Raiders gave him $170,000, and he does have an old friend on the roster …

Andrew Coker, OT, TCU, 6-7, 315

The Raiders need some help at right tackle and Coker is worth a look. He battled a knee injury in college, and some scouts think he might be a guard at the next level, but Galko thinks there might be some buried treasure here.

“His 2022 season was really strong,” Galko said. “He was a sure-fire draft pick. He just got hurt early on last year and just never fully recovered. … And then he had to get surgery and rehab that injury and didn’t test super well.”

Coker needs to get stronger, but the Raiders’ depth chart isn’t that imposing for a young player trying to make a name for himself. Other than Thayer Munford Jr., the Raiders have only third-round pick Delmar Glaze and practice-squadder Dalton Wagner ahead of him. They gave Coker $95,000 to come to Las Vegas.

“There is a world,” Galko said, “where Andrew Coker, when he is fully healthy in camp, is a guy where you’re like, ‘Man, this guy can play left or right tackle for us.’ He is really talented.”

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Lideatrick Griffin, WR, Mississippi State, 5-10, 181

Like Sheppard and Coker, Griffin, who goes by “Tulu,” played in the Shrine Bowl, and he actually might have the easiest path to making the Raiders roster. He led all of college football with a kickoff return average of 32.3 yards in 2022.

“He is extremely fast on film, ran 22 mph at Mississippi State,” Galko said. “I am pretty surprised he wasn’t drafted. I think the teams that really wanted to get a returner in the draft got their guy early, and that’s the only reason he fell out. He’ll certainly challenge for that job with the Raiders.”

Griffin, who ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, also set a school record with 256 receiving yards in a game against South Carolina last season. But his route running needs a lot of work, and that’s not why he is here right now.

“He is one of the 32 best returners in America,” Galko said. “He is that talented.”

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Carter Bradley, QB, South Alabama, 6-3, 218

The son of former Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Carter knows how to read the field and where to go with the ball. His accuracy and footwork need improving, however, and Bradley also missed some time last year with a knee injury.

The Raiders’ new No. 4 quarterback spent four years as a backup at Toledo before transferring in 2022 to South Alabama, where he threw for 5,995 yards, 47 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in 24 games. Maybe he can beat out former Baltimore Raven Anthony Brown for the No. 3 job. The Raiders gave him $125,000 to see.

Noah Shannon, DT, Iowa, 6-1, 300

Shannon had 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2022 before he was one of more than 25 athletes at Iowa and Iowa State penalized by the NCAA for gambling violations. Shannon allegedly bet on Iowa women’s basketball games, but not football.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz made Shannon an honorary captain on senior day last season, and Shannon showed he was a legit prospect at Iowa’s pro day with very good times in the shuttle (4.22 seconds) and three-cone (7.0) drills. The Raiders signed free agent Christian Wilkins to join John Jenkins and Adam Butler up front, but after that, Byron Young and Nesta Jade Silvera don’t have bear hugs on roster spots.

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Demarcus Governor, CB, Northern Iowa, 6-0, 190

The Central Michigan transfer who goes by “Woo” had two pick sixes in one game in 2022. He has some versatility and might be able to play corner, nickel or safety. It’s going to be tough to make the roster, though, as the Raiders have Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs, Brandon Facyson and Bennett, might sign a veteran free agent and drafted corners in the fourth and seventh rounds.

Rayshad Williams, CB, Texas Tech, 6-3, 215

Williams thought he was signing with the Miami Dolphins, only to later realize that the scout he was talking to now works for the Raiders. When he called the Dolphins after realizing it, Miami looked at his size again and offered him a rookie camp invite but for less money. The UCLA transfer allowed a 56 percent completion percentage with 20 pass breakups during his career and then ran a 4.55 40 and had the second-fastest three-cone/shuttle time at the Big 12 pro day.

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Ramel Keyton, WR, Tennessee, 6-3, 197

Keyton had 66 catches for 1,204 yards and 11 touchdowns the last two seasons at Tennessee. He has good size and length, and while he averaged 18.3 yards per catch, the third most in the conference, he lacks explosiveness and needs to make his routes crisper. Still, he was a steady performer who earned a chance to make the Raiders’ practice squad.

Amari Gainer, DE, North Carolina, 6-3, 235

After appearing in 46 games over five years at Florida State, Gainer transferred to North Carolina for his final season of eligibility. The former four-star recruit had 2.5 sacks and six tackles for loss in 13 games, and while he does have some bend coming around the edge, he might be a coverage linebacker at the next level with some seasoning.

Jake Johanning, G, Furman, 6-3, 280

Johanning won the Jacobs Blocking Award, given to the Southern Conference’s top offensive lineman. He did not allow a sack last season. But the 280 pounds could be a little generous. He could move into the Raiders’ weight room for the year.

Will Putnam, C, Clemson, 6-4, 310

Putnam was a two-time All-ACC selection and four-year starter along the offensive line, two at center and two at guard. Considering that the Raiders gave starting center Andre James a big, new contract and also have potential centers in Dylan Parham and second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson, it’s interesting that they gave Putnam $60,000 in walking-around money.

Phalen Sanford, S, Nebraska, 5-11, 197

A former walk-on, Sanford was a special teams ace who started five games at safety last season. Don’t sleep on him. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule recently told reporters: “This is a guy who wasn’t on scholarship when I got here. When I put him on scholarship for the spring, I said, ‘I can’t put you on scholarship for the fall,’ so he (was) trying to figure out what job he (was) going to get to pay for being in school. … And now I have a lot of NFL teams calling me about him so I can help them get him as an undrafted signing.”

TJ Franklin, DE, Baylor, 6-6, 257

A first-team academic All-Big-12 selection, Franklin started 12 games last season and had 3.5 sacks and 31 tackles, nine for a loss. He is a very good run defender who never stops running but needs more discipline staying in his lane in a team defense.

Tomari Fox, DT, North Carolina, 6-3, 288

A backup in college, Fox had three tackles and a sack against South Carolina in the season opener and finished the season with 14 tackles. He was suspended for the entire 2022 season for taking a banned substance, but he has violent hands and is going to need them to throw many people ahead of him on the depth chart out of the way.

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Clark Barrington, G, Baylor, 6-5, 308

The BYU transfer started the 2023 season at center before moving to guard. He is a good athlete with good feet who is hoping to earn a spot on the practice squad so he can improve his strength.

Jeff Foreman, WR, Arkansas State, 6-0, 180

He finished third on his team with 573 receiving yards on 29 catches. But he ran a 4.38 40. The ghost of Al Davis smiles.

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(Photo of Ja’Quan Sheppard: Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Vic Tafur

Vic Tafur is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL. He previously worked for 12 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and also writes about boxing and mixed martial arts. Follow Vic on Twitter @VicTafur