Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce’s effect on his club last year wasn’t simply noticed in the Raiders’ locker room. Players and other football professionals on the outside took notice of what was being developed in Sin City as well.

Before he received his phone call during the 2024 NFL Draft, Raiders seventh-round pick cornerback M.J. Devonshire praised Pierce’s exploits in his short tenure as temporary head coach.

Devonshire talked about his enthusiasm to play for Pierce when he joined our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. on a recent episode of the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.”

“It’s super exciting to not only as a coach, but a lot of the things he does as a coach, you can tell, it shows how much of a good person he is,” Devonshire added.

“He’s a former player and he understands us a little bit more than maybe the next guy. But basically from before I was even thinking about being a Raider, before I was in the draft, just watching last season, and I heard he brings everybody to the games. Everybody’s a part of this.

“And that’s kind of a … Pitt mindset — we all in. It’s simply us in this facility, whether you’re a player, staff person, everybody in this facility plays a part into winning games, whether it’s Saturday or now, Sundays. Everybody in this building plays a part, and I think he’s big on that.

And from the people I’ve spoken to and everything that’s been going on in this last week, I can get a feel that it’s truly family-oriented, and it’s the reason why guys are buying in, because you understand it takes more than just me; this is a team sport, and we’re a large team. And when your team is big and your team is bought in, you’ll undoubtedly be successful.”

It’s apparent that Devonshire did his study on Pierce. His mentality will fit well into this culuture Pierce is attempting to construct in Las Vegas, and that is precisely what the club was looking for when drafting in this year’s draft.