Following the first day of Rookie Mini-Camp, WR Amari Cooper, DE Mario Edwards Jr., and WR Josh Harper were made available to the media.
Here is what we learned from their time behind the microphone.
AMARI WAS READY TO GET TO WORK
Cooper signed his rookie contract Thursday, the day before Rookie Mini-Camp officially began.
It was important for the former Alabama wide receiver to get the business part of the game taken care of so he could put all of his focus on football.
"My agent advised me to do that, so I guess it was important to him," said Cooper. "I guess it was a smart thing to do."
MARIO LIKES THE MUSIC
The past week has been a week of change for Mario Edwards Jr. He was drafted, flown across the country, and today officially began his work on the field with his fellow rookies.
In addition to all of the new experiences that have come his way, Edwards was greeted by a welcome change from his time at Florida State – music during practice.
"That's one cool thing we didn't do in college at Florida State," Edwards Jr. said. "We never played music, except for in the beginning. But to play music and get your mind elsewhere and pump you up during the practice was pretty cool."
KEN NORTON, JR. IS MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION
Edwards Jr. has only had one practice under Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. but he already likes the intensity the former linebacker is bringing to the table.
"I like him a lot," Edwards Jr. said. "He's very vocal and he wants the best out of his players. He's yelling and screaming because he wants to push you and get every drop out of you that you have in you. I like that type of coach."
EDWARDS HAS A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER
After going through the pre-draft process and having every aspect of his game dissected, Edwards Jr. is ready to get to work and just play football.
That being said, he's not forgetting all of the negative feedback he received throughout the process, and is using that to fuel him going forward.
"Just a chip on my shoulder from just naysayers or people that criticized me so much," Edwards Jr. said. "Really I wanted to prove to myself. I have a chip on myself because I want to be the best that I can be."
JOSH HARPER WANTED TO BE A RAIDER
Josh Harper went undrafted, but after the Draft concluded, he received calls from numerous teams offering him a contract as an undrafted free agent.
However, after hearing all of the pitches from the respective teams, the Fresno State product listened to his gut and joined the Silver and Black.
"I feel like the Raiders organization is headed into the right direction," Harper said. "Why not try to be a part of something that's going to be special down the road? It was a whole little packaged deal: the organization, Derek [Carr] being here because I know he's going to help me as much as I can, learning the playbook."
HARPER REALIZES NOTHING WILL BE HANDED TO HIM
While he was disappointed he went undrafted, Harper is now determined to make the most of his opportunity in Oakland.
He also realizes that nothing will be handed to him, and is willing to do whatever he needs to do to make the final roster.
"I wouldn't say pressure but I would say you have to show up every day," Harper said. "You have to give them a reason to allow you do have a spot on this team. Nothing's going to be given to you but that's why you have to show up and make plays."
