Raiders rookies report, but top picks still unsigned

The Raiders rookies hit the field in Napa for the first time Monday for the pre-camp portion of training camp, but did so without their top two draft picks.

Cornerback Gareon Conley, the No. 24 overall selection, and second-round safety Obi Melifonwu have yet to sign contracts and thus cannot participate.

The reasons seem obvious for Conley, who is still being investigated by Cleveland police for a rape allegation that occurred shortly before the draft and helped lead to Conley being available with the 24th pick. Melifonwu's absence is less obvious, as contracts are pre-slotted depending on where they are drafted, and he's slated for a four-year deal worth about $4.5 million.

Coach Jack Del Rio, speaking Tuesday on 95.7 The Game, said he expects both situations to be resolved quickly.

“The rules and the structure are such that it's not a great concern now in our league,” Del Rio said of the possibility of holdouts. “I think these issues will get resolved shortly and they'll join the team.”

Directing a portion of his answer to host and fellow former NFL player Lorenzo Neal, Del Rio added: “Years ago when Lo and I were out there, those were issues, I mean real issues. Holdouts could last a whole camp, into the season, all that kind of stuff. The structure is in place now, we expect these things to get resolved shortly and they'll be getting their work in.”

As for Conley's legal situation, Del Rio reiterated the team remains confident that he will be exonerated once the investigation finally concludes.

“Really nothing's changed from the way we feel about it,” Del Rio said. “We understand there's a process underway and when they finish that process, we feel confident about the decision we made and the person that we have.”

EXPECTATIONS HIGH

Del Rio is revving up for another NFL season, and he is more than ready to address the incredibly high expectations his Raiders face.

Well, the Raiders won't face them directly - Del Rio made that clear in comments he made Tuesday on the radio show.

“I think the biggest thing for us is to recognize hype, or discussions, or expectations, or preseason ranks or whether or not we're going somewhere else in three years, those kinds of things - it's all noise, and it all has very little to do with who we are and what we're about,” Del Rio told the Joe, Lo and Dibs show.

“Our focus will be understanding what our standard is and understanding what the processes are that we must go through to become a really good football team. So that's going to be the message: Let's get to work,” he said.

Co-host Neal, a retired fullback with 16 years of NFL experience, asked how Del Rio handles perception compared with reality.

“We know we've got a good team. We know we can play with anybody. We know we're good in all three phases,” Del Rio replied. “How you rank on last year's stats and how that projects going forward is more for fantasy leagues than it is for what we're doing. So we're busy at work, we've got a good group of guys, we added to it. Obviously, there have been subtractions, like there are every year … But we feel like we've strengthened ourselves coming out of the offseason. We're excited about getting started.”