The Las Vegas Raiders hosted 31 college prospects at the Intermountain Health Performance Center on Friday, April 11 for their annual local pro day. Las Vegas-area natives and players from USC, UCLA and UNLV were on site to work out and meet with members of the Raiders coaching staff and front office.

"The Las Vegas area is rich with talent, as evidenced by the large number of current NFL players that played their high school ball here," Raiders General Manager John Spytek said. "We're fortunate to be able to host players from the region at our local pro day, which provides a tremendous opportunity to see that talent up close and get to know these individuals as part of the pre-draft process."

According to the NFL, Las Vegas (16) had the second-most players on opening weekend rosters of any city in 2024.

UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao is one prospect who hopes to be a player on one of those rosters. The Henderson, Nevada, native played at Liberty High School, where his father works as an assistant principal, and was the top-ranked recruit in Nevada (247 Sports) as a senior in 2021.

"I want to show that I'm an all-around type player," Matavao said. "When I get to meet these coaches, just show them who I am as a guy. I love ball and I just love being around the team."

Matavao began his collegiate career at Oregon (2021-22) where he was lockermates with current Raiders offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson. Matavao then transferred to UCLA and played the 2023 season under Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. After leading the Bruins with 41 receptions and 506 receiving yards in 2024, Friday's local pro day was a full-circle moment for him to make a strong impression on his hometown team.

"This was awesome, especially because I literally see this facility from my backyard," Matavao said. "Growing up, you always want to root for a home NFL team. The young guys now can. The Raiders are here. Allegiant [Stadium] is a 10-minute drive from Liberty and you can see this facility from Liberty's football field. It's something those young guys can look at and say, 'That's the ultimate goal and something worth fighting for to train and get to that next step.'"

With UNLV coming off its first 11-win season since 1984, it's no surprise that the Raiders had interest in a number of draft-eligible players from the school, including offensive lineman Tiger Shanks.

Shanks spent five years with the Rebels and became the first player in program history to earn first-team All-Mountain-West honors in multiple seasons.

"I was there since the 0-6 season my freshman year," he said. "Just the progression that we had, being able to come in as a young guy to a program that was kind of on the bottom and then being a part of a group that worked to build it into what it is today, I take a lot of pride in that."

While the Rebels play their home games at Allegiant Stadium, the local pro day offered Shanks his first chance to work out inside the Raiders' practice facility.

"It was amazing," Shanks said. "I've never been here before so I can't really compare it to anything, but the energy in this building from Coach [Pete] Carroll, from all the staff, it's crazy. It's really cool.

"Obviously I have a lot of film out there. They've seen my film. But I feel like just making that personal connection, showing them what I'm about, that's the main thing that I was trying to get across today."

While it remains to be seen which members of the 2025 draft class will wear a Raiders uniform, the local pro day has proven to be a beneficial part of the pre-draft scouting process.

Just last year, Oklahoma defensive tackle and Las Vegas native Jonah Laulu made a positive impression at the Raiders' local pro day. Laulu was drafted in the seventh round by Indianapolis but cut before the beginning of the regular season and picked up by the Silver and Black. He went on to make seven starts and play in all 17 games last season.

For more information about the Raiders' nine selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, click here.