Las Vegas Raiders

Five things we learned about the Raiders this preseason

Published Sep. 8, 2015 8:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Jack Del Rio thinks his team is an immediate contender in the AFC West.

The results from his first preseason as Raiders head coach seem to suggest otherwise. The roster is undoubtedly more talented this season, but the Raiders need to work some kinks out -- particularly on offense, where they're so young.

With the regular season set to kick off on Thursday, here are the five most important things we learned from the Raiders' preseason.

1. Khalil Mack is DPOY material

Houston has J.J. Watt. Seattle has Richard Sherman. Oakland's Khalil Mack is about to enter that transcendent territory; he's been absolutely unstoppable through exhibition play and swears he's only getting better. That's a tough thought to bear for teams like the Arizona Cardinals, whose starting tackles were abused by No. 52 weeks ago. He'll be the player Jadeveon Clowney was supposed to be in their draft class.

2. Derek Carr loves him some Amari Cooper

Derek Carr looked for No. 89. Then he looked again and again -- he just couldn't help feeding Amari Cooper in his new receiver's preseason debut. Few could blame him. Cooper has a tantalizing blend of speed and run-after-catch ability that the Silver and Black simply lacked in years past. This team hasn't had a 1,000-yard wideout since Rady Moss, but that'll change in 2015.

3. Latavius Murray might not be a three-down back

Latavius Murray worked out like a fiend all offseason in anticipation of an increased backfield role. He should receive top billing, but don't count out other options. New backup Roy Helu Jr. hasn't seen much preseason action, but he's a dangerous third-down back. Fullback Marcel Reese always finds his way into the mix, too.

4. DJ Hayden wasn't worth a first-round pick

Hayden perservered when heart surgery threatened to end his collegiate career. He might not be able to survive a coaching change and a stretch of poor preseason play this year. The former first-round pick was demoted to nickel duty behind unproven guys like T.J. Carrie and Keith McGill.

5. Ken Norton Jr. was a perfect hire

He's fiery. He's a former player with Super Bowl rings. And he's installing a system in Oakland that's similar to the hard-hitting Seahawks scheme. As far as first-year defensive coordinators go, Ken Norton Jr. has brought it all to the table. Raiders defenders haven't stopped raving about him since he was lured away from Seattle this offseason.