Oakland Raiders Free Agency Period Preview

October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati (77) lines up during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi

Mike Iupati

Mike Iupati should be very high on the Raiders’ priority list because he would give the Raiders a great offensive line. Donald Penn played very well for the Raiders at left tackle this past year as did rookie Gabe Jackson at left guard. Center Stefen Wisniewski was solid himself but the right side of the offensive line was no good.

Right guard Austin Howard was a top right tackle in the NFL before the Raiders’ failed experiment with him. Iupati would be great at right guard for the Raiders so Howard can go back to where he is good at right tackle. Then Menelik Watson, can move to the left side and back up Penn, who had himself a nice comeback year.

Watson is a good athlete but struggled at right tackle last year, showing he’s just not developed enough to start yet. A year or two behind Penn would have him ready to take over for him when the Sun starts to set on his career. But this year, Iupati coming in to play right guard would mean the Raiders would have no weakness on the offensive line.

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