Raiders 2022 NFL Draft: 5 options in the 3rd Round for Las Vegas

Raiders 2022 NFL Draft: 5 options in the 3rd Round for Las Vegas

Raiders top third-round options – No. 2 DT Matthew Butler, Tennessee

Just as important as fortifying the offensive line, the same could be said for the Raiders’ interior defensive line. The edges are likely set, though another impact veteran could be added in the Summer once teams begin trimming their rosters.

Nonetheless, Matthew Butler from Tennessee would give defensive coordinator Patrick Graham a versatile prospect to mold into the image of a modern defensive lineman.

Butler is fast, mobile, and, considering he’d be a third-round prospect, a well-refined player. He’s fundamentally sound and possesses some of the best hands of any defensive line prospect.

Thanks largely to his high motor and notable first step, Butler dominates as he shoots the gaps while playing either in a 3 or 5-tech role. Considering how bare the cupboard is for the Raiders at the moment, Butler makes sense here in the third.

Raiders top third-round options – No. 3 LB Troy Andersen, Montana State

Troy Anderson, currently the 86th-ranked prospect on the Draft Network’s board, would be a nice addition to the Raiders’ linebacking corps. Much of the 2021 unit has been scrapped, with several of its members signing elsewhere this week. Even so, adding a linebacker in the third round is one option that Ziegler might consider.

At six-foot-four and weighing around 230 pounds, Anderson’s most notable trait is his versatility, which bodes well for Graham’s defense. Andersen has many of the features you want in a linebacker: speed, athleticism, demeanor, and reliable tackling. He’ll cover the field from sideline to sideline with lateral movement, which observers got a sample of at the combine.

While he’s still raw as a pass defender, the Raiders could make use of that quickness to help shut down an opponent’s run game.