Brandon Parker
The Oakland Raiders spent their first round pick on the offensive tackle position, so it was a bit of a surprise when they dipped into that position group for their third round pick. Brandon Parker was a bit of a shocking pick when the Raiders made him the 65th overall selection this past April, but he is a guy who is going to play a big role in their future.
The expectation for Parker coming into the regular season was that he would be able to sit behind Kolton Miller and Donald Penn, serving as a reserve. However, when Penn went down due to injury, he was forced into action, and has been the team’s starting right tackle since the Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Parker was a bit rushed in getting on the field, and has not played as well as Miller has early on. Still, he is a big, strong body, who may not be a starter in the NFL right now, but should develop into a very solid player down the road.