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Oakland Raiders: 3 Potential breakout Hard Knocks stars

By Maurice Moton

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 06: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 06: Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Oakland Raiders
Jon Gruden, Oakland Raiders (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Oakland Raiders will appear on HBO’s Hard Knocks, starting Aug. 6. Other than the big personalities, who’s primed to steal the show this summer?

The Oakland Raiders will put on a thrilling show for HBO’s Hard Knocks, which debuts Aug. 6 at 10 p.m. ET. The Silver and Black seemed like the obvious choice with compelling personalities on the roster, along with head coach Jon Gruden’s and general manager Mike Mayock’s TV experience.

Among the rookies and veterans in the locker room, Chucky may list as one of many stars in this five-episode installment. The film crew will document more 1,750 hours of the footage as viewers take a deep dive behind the curtains to see the early beginnings of the Raiders’ summer grind.

Back in March, owner Mark Davis didn’t like the idea of his team appearing on the show, per SI.com’s Emily Caron. “It would be disruptive,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of business to take care of, get ready for the season. I appreciate that they might think we’d be great TV, but we got something to accomplish.”

Teams cannot refuse to allow cameras in their doors if selected for the offseason. Davis came to terms with reality and sold the show once the Hard Knocks announcement became final. “Everybody wants to be a Raider,” Davis said. “Now they’ll find out what it takes to become one.”

We shouldn’t look at this as a total car wreck en route to a poor season. Last year, the Cleveland Browns allowed cameras to film them after an 0-16 campaign. The club went 7-8-1 during the 2018 term and competed for a playoff spot late in the year.

Last season, Oakland finished 4-12; the upcoming season cannot get any worse, could it?

We can assume Gruden, wide receiver Antonio Brown, linebacker Vontaze Burfict and offensive guard Richie Incognito will garner interest, but who may unexpectedly steal the show?

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