The Raiders on Saturday "announced some of their third-day draft picks from in front of the famous 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign," according to Mark Anderson of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Raiders President Marc Badain said, “We’ve said we have to establish a presence here. We have to be in the community, and that’s what we’re going to work on, but we haven’t abandoned Oakland. We did our Thursday draft event from the Fox Theater there. I know it’s a delicate balance for our fans in both markets, but we’re going to enjoy the couple of years that we play there, and we’re going to build a fan base here and build the facility here and build something spectacular.” Some former Raiders players "took part Saturday," including David Humm, Lincoln Kennedy, Rod Martin and Pro Football HOFer Mike Haynes. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval "read the team's fourth-round pick on national TV," and Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak read the fifth-round selection. The team "tweeted out the announcement," but NFL Network’s Rich Eisen indicated he "didn’t feel right airing that footage given the Raiders are scheduled to play in Oakland the next two seasons" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/30). In Las Vegas, Case Keefer noted 30 minutes before the final day of the NFL Draft began, "about 100 Raiders’ fans assembled on Las Vegas Blvd." Saturday’s NFL Draft festivities "figure to be the first of many events held in town before the kickoff" of the '20 season (LAS VEGAS SUN, 4/30).
