Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden expecting Kolton Miller to be elite

Kolton Miller was Jon Gruden’s first draft pick in his return to the Oakland Raiders, and he expects him to be a special player.

Last season, the Oakland Raiders not only had trouble getting to the quarterback on defense, but they also struggled keeping their own quarterback off the ground. Derek Carr was sacked 51 times, good for fourth-most in the NFL, so obviously something needed to be changed this offseason.

The Raiders made a move for offensive line help early in free agency, signing Trent Brown away from the New England Patriots. Last season, Brown was  tasked with protecting Tom Brady‘s blindside, as he was the starting left tackle for the Patriots, and helped lead them to another Super Bowl victory.

After handing Brown a record-setting contract for an offensive lineman at four years and $66 million, many figured the Raiders would make him the new left tackle, and move 2018 first round draft pick Kolton Miller to the right side. However, Miller will remain on the left side in year two, with Brown heading to the right side, and head coach Jon Gruden expects big things from his second-year left tackle.

Michael Gehlken from Las Vegas Review-Journal tweeted this out on Wednesday.

That is some pretty high praise from Gruden, who drafted Miller at No. 15 overall, and has made him his starting left tackle ever since. Miller has done a nice job putting on weight this offseason, and looks stronger so far during OTAs, and the expectation is that he will be able to dominate now that he is healthy.

When he was healthy as a rookie, Miller was certainly capable of being a left tackle at the NFL level, and with added help on the other side, that should benefit him as well. This is a Raiders offensive line that will have to improve if the weapons they brought in will get a chance to flourish, and it all starts with the bookends in Miller and Brown.