Raiders add size, versatility in productive 3rd day of draft
The Raiders’ 2022 draft, the first put together by new general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels, culminated Saturday in a busy and productive Day Three.
They maneuvered up and down the draft board to reel in five players, including a running back who could be the heir apparent to Josh Jacobs, two defensive tackles who could provide rotational help early in their careers and an offensive tackle who was surprisingly still on the board in the seventh round.
All the while, they stayed disciplined and true to their game plan of drafting the highest graded players on their board, regardless of depth chart.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into each grade, and when you trust the work, and then you get to the draft, and you say, the best thing to do is add the best players we can. If you understand that from the beginning, the process itself is kind of simplistic,” McDaniels said.
The drafting of Georgia running back Zamir White with the 122nd pick in the fourth round, for instance, almost immediately followed the Raiders’ decision Friday to not pick up the fifth-year option of Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs still might be a big part of the Raiders’ future, but the presence of White, who led the national champion Bulldogs with 856 rushing yards at an average of 5.4 per carry and 11 touchdowns last season, strengthens their position should Jacobs and Kenyan Drake leave as a free agents in March.
“Those are both great backs that I have looked up to for years,” White said. “As far as me coming in, just working and grinding and not worrying about that type of stuff. I just want to come in and compete, just have fun and meet them guys, that’s all I want to do.”
To get in position to secure White, the Raiders traded pick No. 126 and a seventh-round pick (227) to the Vikings in exchange for pick No. 122 and the Vikings’ seventh-round selection at No. 250.
Minutes after completing the trade — and reeling in White — the Raiders completed another deal with the Vikings to regain possession of the 126th pick. The cost was two picks in the fifth round (No. 165 and 169) with the target being Louisiana State’s Neil Farrell, the first of what ended up being back-to-back defensive tackle selections.
Farrell, a 6-foot-4-inch, 335-pound space-eater, played all over the Tigers’ defensive line the past three years, but he profiles as a double team-eating NFL nose tackle. Last year he had 45 tackles with a career-high 9.5 tackles for loss, including two sacks. Even if the pass-rush skill doesn’t translate, Farrell has a chance to provide value as a run stuffer and by occupying multiple blockers to free up teammates to make plays.
The Raiders turned to the trade tool one more time Saturday to add an extra pick in the seventh round. To do so, they sent pick No. 164 (fifth round) to the Rams for No. 175 and a seventh-round pick at No. 238. At 175, the Raiders selected Tennessee defensive tackle Matthew Butler, who has experience as a defensive tackle and end in a 4-3 scheme and a 3-4 defensive end.
That versatility should be a benefit as he transitions to the Raiders, who are making a shift to a 3-4 scheme under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham but are expected to use a heavy dose of four down linemen in their sub-package looks.
Butler stayed at Tennessee for a fifth season last year — the “super” senior year afforded college players during the COVID-19 pandemic — and made the most of it by playing an SEC-high 726 snaps and totaling 47 tackles, five sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, seven QB hurries and one forced fumble.
The Raiders circled back to an area of need in the seventh round with the selection of Ohio State offensive lineman Thayer Munford at No. 238. Generally considered a fourth-round talent, Munford adds to the versatility on the Raiders’ offensive line after the selection of Memphis guard/center Dylan Parham in the third round Friday.
Munford played left guard last year for the Buckeyes but spent 2019 and 2020 at left tackle. The 6-6, 328-pounder likely will get a chance to play tackle with the Raiders, who were surprised he was on the board in the seventh round.
“To have a tackle there, that had that resume, was an attractive thing,” Ziegler said.
The Raiders’ final pick, UCLA running back Brittain Brown with the 250th pick overall, was a surprise after the White selection. Brown, though, averaged a Pac-12 high 6.03 yards per carry last year for the Bruins and between his time at Duke and UCLA has special teams experience. His path to a roster spot is likely to come via special teams.
The Raiders also got to work post-draft by adding Missouri Western cornerback Sam Webb, California QB Chase Garbers, Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Southern California safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, Utah offensive tackle Bam Olaseni, Iowa defensive end Zach VanValkenburg, Arizona State linebacker Darien Butler, Virginia Tech wide receiver Tre Turner and Utah tight end Cole Fotheringham as undrafted free agents.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.