Raiders may have to move up if they want to go OT in the first round
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have a big hole at the offensive tackle spot, and they may need to move up in the first round to fill it.
During the 2021 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood at pick No. 17 overall. At the time, the hope was that Leatherwood would come in and be the team’s starting right tackle for the foreseeable future, but we all know how that played out.
Leatherwood played so bad that he was kicked inside to offensive guard, a spot the team hopes he can stay in and thrive moving forward. That means the Raiders will have to go offensive tackle either in free agency or early in the 2022 NFL Draft, possibly using another first-round pick on the position group.
However, the team cannot afford to roll the dice at the position group like they did last April, as not many scouts had a first-round grade on Leatherwood. Looking at the 2022 class, there are five potential offensive linemen that the Raiders should target, and all of them will likely be gone by pick No. 22.