Levi Edwards

Jarin Vallinas from Maryland asks:

"Who quietly had an amazing camp?"

In my opinion, several Raiders stayed in the limelight during minicamp, including quarterbackGeno Smithand rookiesAshton JeantyandDont'e Thornton Jr.The new additions made for some explosive plays which have widely circulated across social media platforms.

But from my point of view, there are two players who had exceptional showings that are not being talked about enough.

On the offensive side of the ball, it'sMichael Mayer. Going into his third season, he looks confident on the field and is working to create a healthy chemistry with Smith in the intermediate passing game. Mayer caught a few touchdowns throughout camp, showcasing his ability to be a solid red zone option. WhileBrock Bowersis still a top receiving option in the tight end room, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has given Mayer more than enough opportunities to shine in 12 personnel formations and even some 3 TE packages with Bowers, Mayer andIan Thomas.

"I think Mike's been outstanding," Kelly said, "and I checked, you can play with two tight ends in a game at the same time, and sometimes you can play with three tight ends they told me. So, maybe we can get to that if we have to."

On defense,Jeremy Chinnhas seemingly been the ultimate chess piece for the Raiders secondary. He plays with a physical style that's complementedIsaiah Pola-Mao. Chinn's ability to force pass breakups with his recovery speed and long arms was a sight to see, as he made plays on some of the team's top offensive weapons consistently.

"Just in terms of his leadership, he's very sure of himself because he puts in the work," Patrick Graham said of Chinn. "Self-confidence comes from preparation; it's not a self-esteem thing or self-talk thing. When you're prepared, you're really, really confident. That's what I see from him. And he's been a sponge in terms of learning how we want to do things, and then all the physical attributes, but all 32 teams know about that. The speed, the size, physicality, ability to tackle, nose for the ball."

Charles Sands from California asks:

"Who's been stepping up for Christian Wilkins?"

Christian Wilkinshas been active around the building this offseason, but didn't partake in any minicamp practices and he continues to rehab his foot injury suffered last season, per Pete Carroll.

"[T]his has been difficult recovery and he's done everything he needs to do," Carroll said about Wilkins back in OTAs. "He's been here every day. He's here early, working hard, but we're still working it, and he's not ready to get back out. And we're in the midst of a long, challenging process here. So, fortunately there's a lot of time, and we're going to take every bit of it. We've really tried to be really diligent about the way we've worked it and the way we've monitored it and all of that, and he's really been on board the whole time."

While Wilkins is still trying to get back on the field, the interior defensive line has been held down byAdam Butler. He's assumed the role of being a leader for the Raiders defense. Here-signedwith the team this offseason after totaling 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.

"I pray that he heals whatever he's battling," Butler said of Wilkins. "I pray that he gets through it, he's a tough guy. He's a great player. We all go through it, but like I said, it's man up and we're just gonna keep working."

Along with Butler, second-year playerJonah Laulureceived a substantial amount of snaps at nose tackle along with rookieTonka Hemingway, who had an interception in minicamp.