The Raiders held a tryout with 16 players on Wednesday and walked away with 3 new practice squad names: offensive lineman Evan Neal, edge rusher Azeez Ojulari and wide receiver Ronnie Bell. It's the kind of roster churn that happens every year around cutdowns, except this batch comes with actual draft pedigree attached.
Raiders work out 16 players, including OL Evan Neal, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. t.co/bnjSFWfGeP
Neal is the name that jumps out. The Giants took him 7th overall in the 2022 draft to anchor their offensive line, and instead got 3 years of some of the worst tackle play in the league by every metric that measures it. New York gave him a one-year deal in March to try to salvage things, but he spent most of camp buried on the third-team and got cut on final roster cuts on August 30, according to reporting on the move.
Ojulari's story runs a similar track, just one round later. The Giants popped him in the second round back in 2021, and after stops that included Philadelphia, he most recently got let go by Atlanta. Now both former Giants are on the same practice squad together, in Las Vegas of all places.
Raiders signed former Saints WR Ronnie Bell, former Giants G Evan Neal and former Giants DE Azeez Ojulari to their practice squad.
Ronnie Bell rounds out the trio after time with the Saints, giving the Raiders a young receiver body on the practice squad heading into Week 1. To make room, Las Vegas cut loose defensive end Jahfari Harvey, tackle Kamar Missouri and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam Jr. — standard corresponding moves for a squad that's essentially full.
None of this guarantees Neal or Ojulari sees the field. Practice squad spots are audition slots, not roster locks — the Raiders can stash them, evaluate for a few weeks, and either promote or move on with zero long-term commitment. But for 2 former high draft picks who looked cooked on their original teams, landing anywhere with an active jersey number attached beats sitting on the couch during Week 1.
Worth watching now: whether Neal or Ojulari gets elevated to the active roster at any point this season, and whether either flashes enough in practice to convince another team's front office there's still something there. The Raiders clearly think a workout and a fresh set of eyes was worth the roster spot — the bigger question is whether either former first-rounder still has the traits that got them drafted that high in the first place.