By now, you're familiar with the newest members of the Las Vegas Raiders, or so you think.
Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock have made it a point to bring in guys who love the game of football and are great teammates, and they each have a deep hunger to win, but with this batch of free agents there may be more than meets the eye.
Over time we'll peel back more layers to who they are as individuals, but let's start by mentioning one interesting thing about five of them.
TE Nick O'Leary
It's rare to have a famous athlete in the family, let alone two. While the O'Leary household has bred several athletes — Nick's parents Bill and Nancy were college athletes — Nick's grandfather is in a league of his own.
Nick's maternal grandfather is arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus. He's one of the most decorated players of the game with 18 major championship victories spanning over 25 years. Nicklaus' name is synonymous with the game of golf.
WR Nelson Agholor
Before the idea of being a professional football player was planted in his mind, Nelson Agholor lived in Nigeria until he was five. He was born in Lagos, the largest metropolitan city in Nigeria. He is the fourth child of five, and all were born outside of the United States. He and his family moved to Tampa Bay in 1998, and it's there he learned to play football as a running back, wide receiver and defensive back.
LB Cory Littleton
Cory Littleton is like most of us; in his downtime he enjoys binge watching Netflix, and he doesn't discriminate. From Gossip Girl to Game of Thrones, Littleton has watched some of the most popular shows out there.
While that's a fairly common hobby nowadays, Littleton also enjoys collecting socks and owns around one hundred pairs. In his mind, socks allow him to express himself and turn a small article of clothing into a reflection of his personality.
DT Maliek Collins
Maliek is a big dude at 6-foot-2, and he weighs 284 pounds. On the football field he uses his size to leverage offensive linemen and force his way to the quarterback. Now, imagine facing him in wrestling — I'll pass.
Throughout high school, Collins wrestled at roughly the same weight he is now, and his senior year he finished a perfect 48-0 and was crowned the state champion in the state of Missouri.
His success on the mat has translated to the NFL by using similar techniques to gain the upper hand on his opponents. He knows how to recognize someone's physical limitations and take advantage.
DE Carl Nassib
If you watched the Cleveland Browns edition of HBO's Hard Knocks a couple years ago, you might be familiar with Nassib's financial prowess.
During a defensive linemen meeting, Nassib educated his former teammates on how to properly manage funds without the use of a financial advisor. The clip went viral on social media and it led to him appearing on CNBC where he discussed properly allocating monthly funds and growing wealth over time.
The newest members of the Raiders 2020 free agency class are all interesting in their own way and a pleasant reminder that they're more than just football players; however, I'm very excited to see what they're capable of in the Silver and Black.
