Duron Harmon Talks Leadership and Autism Awareness

New Raiders safety Duron Harmon will not only begin his fresh start in Las Vegas with his goals as an athlete on the field, but also his goals as a person off the field as well.

Harmon joined the Associated Press Pro Football Podcast to discuss such matters on Monday.

The veteran safety, who signed with Las Vegas in March, acknowledged the value he brings to the Raiders as a professional entering his 10th NFL season.

"I think leadership can never be forced," Harmon said. "I just try to do it from a genuine standpoint. I'm just sharing my experiences when they're asked and when the opportunity presents itself. One thing about this league [is] the experiences -- they just recycle. You ask a veteran guy, he'll tell you what he went through as a young guy and usually the stories are very, very similar.

"And the people who are very successful in this league, their work ethic and their journey might not always be identical, but there's similarities. So I just try to give out the information and the knowledge that was passed to me from those guys who helped me get to where I am today so that I can just pay it forward and see the information that I eventually will pass down to another generation of football players eventually."

Outside of football, Harmon is looking to spread awareness for autism, a goal that he was inspired to set out to accomplish because of his nephew, who is on the autism spectrum.

"I don't think I have met any child with autism who was similar to the other," Harmon said. "I mean each case is completely different. The range of the spectrum is so big. And that's why we need to continue to raise awareness to keep garnering information, keep raising awareness, keep finding out new resources and new techniques. Because, like I said, it's just so different.

"Each child is different, but at the end of the day, God made us all different. I'm unique from you and you are unique from me, but we gotta find ways to all work together to make this a better and more safe place for people with autism."