The Raiders played most of their first team offense and defense for the better part of the first quarter Thursday night. Among the first team defense was a new starter -- rookie safety Treydan Stukes.
Up to this point, incumbent Isaiah Pola-Mao was starting at safety alongside Jeremy Chinn. But Stukes got the nod in their final preseason game, signaling that he has turned the corner and the Raiders coaching staff believes he's ready to take over the job.
The 6-2, 200-pounder lined up with the first team defense for nearly the entire first quarter before giving way to the second team. Pola-Mao came out with the second team for the second quarter, while Stukes continued to see snaps alongside him.
Stukes was the Raiders' selection at 38 overall in
the second round of this year's draft, making him their second pick in this draft after top pick Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders coaching clearly have big plans for Stukes and those plans appear to start right now.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders rookie Treydan Stukes gets start at safety in preseason finale
