The Raiders had three rookies last season that were Day 1 starters for the team; Alex Leatherwood, Trevon Moehrig and Nate Hobbs. But with limited draft capital this year, will they even have one?
In a recent article by The Athletic, they asked their 32 beat writers to name the player that will have the biggest impact in Year 1. For the Raiders, that was Dylan Parham on the offensive line. Can he win a starting job as a rookie? Here is what Tashan Reed had to say about that possibility:
“With Andre James as the starting center and several players in the mix at guard, it’ll be tough for Dylan Parham to carve out a starting role in 2022, but he’s going to have the opportunity to compete from Day 1.
If he wins a job, he has the traits to give the Raiders an average to above-average starter on the interior offensive line. That might not sound too exciting, but it’d be an upgrade for an offensive line that’s played poorly as a unit since 2020.”
If the Raiders decide to move Leatherwood out to right tackle, then Parham would have an excellent chance of starting inside at guard. But if they keep Leatherwood at guard and start Brandon Parker at tackle, it might be hard for the rookie to get on the field right away.
The Raiders have a lot of depth on the offensive line for the first time in forever. It will be fascinating to see how it all shakes out and if Parham can grab one of the starting jobs.