Will Carroll's 'Favorite Guy' Become Fan Favorite for the Raiders

Following minicamp, Carroll elaborated about a player that jumped out to him over minicamp.

"My favorite guy out there to watch is Laki Tasi. He knows nothing about football when he walked in the door, and he's made tremendous progress, and he's enormous. He's the biggest guy you ever saw. I think he weighed in at weigh-ins the other day at 369. He's learning, and we got to keep an eye on him. It's an exciting process. I don't know how long it's going to take, but he's starting from ground zero, and he's made a lot of progress so far," Carroll said.

Former NFL executive Scott Pioli noted Tasi's history and how it could benefit him now that he is in the National Football League.

"The 21-year-old has played at the highest levels of rugby in Australia, picking up the sport in his early teens and eventually playing in the rugby league and rugby union. At 6-6, 348 pounds with 34-inch arms, Tasi has very good size and the tools to be a big interior defensive lineman, along with the toughness and makeup to play in the trenches. He possesses a strong and intriguing combination of developmental tools, stature, and mindset," Pioli said.

Tasi's size and athleticism make him the type of versatile player Carroll and his coaching staff like. A few weeks ago, SI's Hondo Carpenter noted that Raiders' Defensive Line Coach, Rob Leonard, announced that Tasi was moved from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive side.

"Raiders DL Coach Rob Leonard just told me that they have moved Rugby Player (Part of the NFL International Pathway) Laki Tasi to OG. Don't get the sense that anything is set in stone. I could see him back at DL, but with that size and athleticism, it makes perfect sense," Carpenter said.

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