Defensive Tackle · Las Vegas Raiders

Tonka Hemingway

No. 97 · 2nd season

Nobody paid top dollar for this position, and Hemingway noticed

When a team leaves a door open, someone usually walks through it. The Las Vegas Raiders came into camp having made no real investment at defensive tackle — no big free-agent signing, no high draft pick at the position. That kind of void has a way of making opportunity visible.

Hemingway was drafted by the Raiders last year, which means this is still early in the story. What stands out is that he has been good from the first day of camp — consistently, not in flashes. That kind of steadiness at a position the team clearly needs someone to own is the kind of thing that gets noticed in the building.

His fellow rookie-class defensive tackle JJ Pegues got a sack in Sunday's practice, which means the competition inside that room is real. Two young players from the same draft class, at the same position, with room at the top — that's a different kind of pressure than most rookies face.

For Hemingway, the math is simple. The Raiders left this door open. He's still walking through it.

Content sourced from publicly available information. Gripd is an independent fan platform not affiliated with the NFL or any team.