Starting cornerback Eric Stokes was one of three defenders to play all 71 snaps in the Raiders’ season-opening win over thePatriots.
It was a solid debut for Stokes, who joined the team as a free agent this offseason.
Now Stokes, a 2021 first-round pick of the Packers, is excited for his first home game at Allegiant Stadium on Monday. The Georgia native sat down with the Review-Journal on Friday to talk about the season, the team’s best-dressed defensive backs and more:
RJ: Now that you’re settling into Las Vegas and playing for the Raiders, what’s it been like for you?
Stokes: It’s been good. Great first game and I really can’t wait for the home game. It’s even better that it’s on a Monday night. You’ll really get to see the real Raider fans come out. About to get crazy and there’s nothing better than a prime-time game. I really can’t wait to go through the real deal atmosphere like the real black hole. Even though they say it’s not the same as it was in Oakland, it’s still the black hole and all that, so I can’t wait to see it.
RJ: What are you most excited to see?
Stokes: I really can’t wait to see how it is when you run out. I saw what it was like a little in the preseason. … But I can’t wait to truly see us running out, feeling the energy, feeling the crowd and all that stuff and let the music and all the energy just take you away after that.
RJ: Back at your introductory news conference, you said one issue in Green Bay was there weren’t a lot of food spots open late at night. You were excited about getting into the food scene here. What have been some of your favorite spots in Las Vegas?
Stokes: I got some little gems. Like, I got a couple gems. I got a steakhouse gem, but I’m not going to give that one up. I can’t give that one up. But if you go to the Strip, I’ve been messing with the basics like Catch and Tao. I really like the Japanese spot that I’ve been to that’s not on the Strip. I can’t think of the name, but it’s around Henderson, right down the street (from the Raiders practice facility). I’ve got a very low-key Chinese spot and some other low-key spots as well.
RJ: Back in Green Bay, you had (former Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia) and other former Raiders like Rasul Douglas and Josh Jacobs. Now Nate Hobbs is there…
Stokes: Keisean Nixon.
RJ: Yes, another former Raider. What did you learn about this franchise from having been around them?
Stokes: Well, a lot. A lot actually. Just dealing with them and talking with them, it’s funny. I still talk to Keisean to this day. Like, that’s my brother. I talked to him last night. He had a hell of a game (Thursday) and all that stuff, so the first thing he told me is how this building is shaped like a box and everything is basically like a street. So you just walk up and down. He was right on that part. But outside of that, like even Rich and them always say like the nutrition staff, the players, like everybody else in here, there’s just a a great feel. And it’s hard not to love Vegas. … But they would say you would love your day-to-day people that you really interact with. So like A.J. (Neibel) and the strength coaches and all the little stuff. Like they always just talk about, like the people that you would meet on a day-to-day (basis), you will have love for them.
RJ: The drip has really stood out on the practice field from the Supreme socks to the Jordan 1 cleats. Where does that come from?
Stokes: Man, just growing up. Growing up, I always wanted some of the little things that I got now. Like the shoes on my feet, all of this little smaller stuff. I’m a bit of a sneakerhead. So, I try to stay in touch with it. So you’ll see me right now, I like the Foamposites, so that’s a little gem right now. But I just love finding stuff like that and throwing it on.
RJ: Who are some of the best-dressed guys in the defensive back room?
Stokes: You’ve got (safety Jeremy) Chinn for sure. I (enjoy) Chinn’s swag. Now I’m just trying to go through everybody. Me and (safety) Chris Smith, even though that’s my brother, we’ve got a lot of the same tastes. Also, (safety) Terrell Edmunds. I like him. I like some of the stuff he throws on. (Cornerback) Kyu (Blu Kelly) has a little subtle thing. It’s different, but I like it. You’ve got a lot of people that I like.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.