Wide receiver Jalen Nailor hadn’t thought too much until the last few weeks about how his first foray into free agency could yield him the opportunity to play in the city where he starred in high school.
“Just talking about it with my agent, we started to feel like this could be the right fit for me and the best fit to show what I can do on the field,” the Bishop Gorman alum said at his introductory news conference after officially signing with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday. “It means the most to me, just to be able to come back to a familiar place. Got tons of connections here to just people that I’ve known growing up, and it’s just a blessing to be here.”
He’s returning to a far different professional sports environment in the city than when he left for Michigan State in 2018 when the Golden Knights were in their infancy and the Raiders were still in Oakland.
“I’m excited to see the city growing as much as it’s grown since I’ve been here,” he said. “I think it’s taken the right direction, especially with this organization, with this coaching staff, I think we’re going to set the bar high with how we want professional sports here in Las Vegas to be.”
Nailor, nicknamed “Speedy,” has high expectations for himself, as well.
He has been a splash player for the Minnesota Vikings, using his speed to stack the highlight reel even though his production was somewhat limited by playing in an offense with someone who draws targets like Justin Jefferson.
Nailor had just 69 catches in four seasons with Minnesota, but scored 11 touchdowns.
The 27-year-old believes the new system expected to be implemented by the Raiders will better be able to take advantage of his abilities as he takes on a more featured role.
“Just having that ability to play multiple positions in the offense, move around, motions and things like that,” he said. “I feel like with (Klint) Kubiak’s offense, he does that very well with the guys trying to get them the ball and move them around. And I feel like that’s going to play right into my skill set.”
It’s likely he will be learning that offense alongside a rookie quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 pick in the draft.
“It will be great to have him come in and show what he can do,” Nailor said. “He’s shown it on the college level. He just has to come here and do that consistently at a high level. I think it’d be great for the team and our receiver room to have that kind of guy throwing us the ball. That would be very exciting for me.”
Nailor knows the opportunity that’s in front of him with the Raiders. He’s appreciative for what his time with the Vikings taught him, particularly the ability to spend every day learning from Jefferson.
While Jefferson’s immense skill is obvious, Nailor said the true secret to Jefferson’s success is the work ethic he displays every day that allows him to be one of the game’s elite players.
“He’s never too high or too low,” Nailor said. “He’s literally the same person every single day. No matter what is going on in his life, he’s always going to have a smile, and the joy and laughter throughout the building. And just what he does on the field, man. He’s very confident the way he runs his routes and things like that, that I’ve tried to implement into my game. I’m just trying to do that even better to elevate my game.”
The Raiders are betting he can do that in his return to Las Vegas.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
