Asked which of his new teammates had stood out the most at the conclusion of three weeks of organized team activities last week, Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew answered immediately.
“I’d say Christian Wilkins,” Minshew responded. “That dude is running so fast every single play. Wherever the ball is, you’ll see him soon.”
Everyone saw a lot of the 28-year-old former Miami Dolphin Tuesday morning at the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters when the team opened its three-day mandatory minicamp. Wilkins looked the part of the hefty four-year, $110 million contract the Raiders gave him at the start of free agency.
He was the best player on the field for the majority of practice.
At the start of one full-team session, Wilkins soared through the middle of the offensive line on the first play for a would-be stuff of running back Zamir White if contact was permitted. On the second play, Aidan O’Connell dropped back but Wilkins was in his face so fast that the quarterback had to throw the ball in the ground for what would have been an intentional grounding penalty.
“He’s a freak of nature,” cornerback Nate Hobbs said of Wilkins. “He’s 300-something pounds and the first one to the ball. I’ve never seen somebody that size move like that, that flexible, that bendy. He’s a pro for real He knows his job. He knows what he’s supposed to do off the field. He talks.”
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