Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: 5 takeaways from Week 17

5. Kolton Miller will work out

I have been one of Kolton Miller’s biggest advocates because I believe he can be the long-term left tackle for the Oakland Raiders. Obviously his rookie campaign had it’s ups and downs, but Miller showed a lot this season.

He played through elbow and knee injuries, both of which are pretty important when you are trying to keep a faster opponent away from your quarterback. With that Miller showed his toughness, that should never be questioned again.

In addition, I saw a desire and fight in Miller this season. In this game against Kansas City, Miller made multiple mistakes. He got beat by Justin Houston who went on to strip Derek Carr and recover the fumble. The mistakes aren’t what caught my eye, however. It was the play where Carr was intercepted by Reggie Ragland, and Miller chased Ragland down the sideline and tackled him. The defense would go on and hold the Chiefs in the red zone.

That is the kind of effort you want to see. The left tackle chasing down and opposing linebacker in a meaningless game. The mistakes will shore up as Miller gets more experience, but desire and toughness cannot be coached, and thankfully Miller has both.