HENDERSON, Nev. -- Damon Arnette came out from behind the podium, flexed his fuller biceps and rocked back and forth, bobbing his head a bit.

"Hell yeah," he said, when asked about his physique. "Y'all see that. It ain't just bands, you know. I'm lifting iron now."

Arnette, up 20 pounds from his rookie season, also said he was healthy, the miserable memory of his rookie year -- when he dealt with a thumb injury, ensuing surgery, COVID-19 and concussions while starting seven of nine games -- a thing of the past.

"I'm confident," he said, "and more comfortable."

Time will tell. In his first preseason action this season, the Las Vegas Raiders' second-year cornerback used his newfound strength to wrap and stop Seattle Seahawks receiver Aaron Fuller short of the first-down marker on third-and-5. He had played the pass perfectly -- until he didn't. Fuller ran out of the bulkier Arnette's grasp for a 17-yard gain.

Arnette, the Raiders' 2020 first-round draft pick, then missed the Raiders' exhibition game at the Los Angeles Rams with an undisclosed injury.

Welcome to the quizzical, bemusing, maddeningly vexing and wonderfully wild world of Arnette, who more than looks the part of physical shutdown corner but has spent a bulk of training camp and the preseason looking on. And learning.

And that's probably a good thing. Arnette has done a lot of self-examination since the end of last season, when the Raiders made him a surprise pick at No. 19 overall and his stat sheet mocked him by showing just two passes defensed. For the season.

"A lot of new types of adversity that I had trouble getting through," said Arnette, who added that his "mentality" was tested often last year.

"In a lot of areas in my life. A lot of things you can't prepare somebody for. And I didn't do a good job with handling them. But the support of the coaches, my teammates, my family, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to get through the things I was dealing with."

Arnette raised some eyebrows in the organization when he posted a video of himself partying on a private plane after he went on injured reserve in early October. Going on the COVID-19 list (one of his two trips to that list) while he was on IR did nothing to help change opinions, either.

Listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds, Arnette said he played at about 175 pounds as a rookie. He turns 25 on Sept. 2 and said he had to learn to lean on those closest to him.

"That's when I started to see growth," he said. "Not just on the football field, but in my life."

One of those who has served as a mentor, of sorts, to Arnette through the offseason is the guy who is, ironically enough, probably taking his starting job -- Casey Hayward Jr.

Hayward, who came to the Raiders as a free agent this spring, said Arnette has responded "really well" to new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's scheme.

"He's one of those guys that's got all the tools to be really good," Hayward said of Arnette. "And I think he's been flashing those tools in camp. I hope he continues to do that because we're going to need him. You get picked in the first round to show your talents and come and play.

"He tries to be like a sponge; he tries to learn everything."

So what comes first for Arnette -- maturity on the field, or off it? Maybe it's a chicken and egg-type deal.

Asked recently if widely-respected first-year defensive backs coach Ron Milus, who has two-plus decades experience in the NFL, had said something in particular to him that resonated, Arnette smiled.

"Everything he say resonates, because he'll say it three times" Arnette said sheepishly.

"So everything he say, I remember."

Like during the brawl between the Raiders and Rams that ended the second day of joint practices, when Milus yelled to Arnette before he could run on the field to join the fray, "Get to the bus. Be a grown up."

Arnette retreated to the bus.

A press cover corner at Ohio State, Arnette said there are similar concepts in Bradley's defense.

"Once I understood the Raider talk, the terminology, I was able to start piecing things together," he said.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden has taken a shine to the sometimes outrageous but always passionate Arnette and sees a similarity to Hayward taking Arnette under his wing.

"It's much like Eric Allen did for Charles Woodson back in the day," Gruden said.

"[Arnette] was an opening day starter, so he's a big part of us moving forward. He had the virus. He had an injury to his thumb. He also had concussion injuries, so he was an incomplete performer for us last year. But he's as good a corner as we have, talent-wise, on this team."

Said Arnette: "I don't have no problem playing physical; it was just, my body couldn't take it. But as far as my decision to throw my s--- in there, shoot, it was a no-brainer every time. I'm going to throw it in as hard as I can. But Year 2 is more so about playing smart and playing to my strengths ... every play don't have to be a knockdown hit. But then the plays that I am faced with, where it's about physical strength, my body will be ready to take on."

He has had highlights in camp, picking off Raiders backup Marcus Mariota and nearly coming down with two more interceptions against the Rams' Matthew Stafford in last week's joint practice.

Arnette also maintains a soft spot in Gruden's heart ... and vice-versa.

"I feel like we both got like a couple of screws [loose], you know what I'm saying?" he said of Gruden. "I might have a little bit more on the floor than he do, but we could relate.

"That's my guy. He's a great dude, great coach. He understands me. He's not the type to judge you. He's going to talk to you, as human to human, young person to younger person. I really love Gruden. For real. And he knows how we rock."

Talk about a flex.