Las Vegas Raiders: 2022 NFL Draft Tracker, Grades, and More
By Brad Weiss
Fifth-round brings another DT to the Raiders
Despite the fact that the Raiders added Neil Farrell Jr. with a fourth-round pick, the Silver and Black decided to go right back to the well and add another defensive tackle here in the fifth round. This time, the pick was Matthew Butler, an outstanding athlete who some draft experts expected to go in the third round.
Butler falling to the Raiders made him a solid get, but this was not necessarily a position group of need going into the final three rounds. Still, the franchise saw a player that they wanted to get, and despite all the veterans they added along the interior of the defensive line in free agency this offseason, both Butler and Farrell will get a chance to earn a spot on the depth chart this spring and summer.
The Raiders held two more seventh-round picks, and it has been clear so far that Ziegler and his staff came into this draft looking to get better upfront along the two lines. That is good news for Raider Nation, and based on the talent on both sides of the ball, this is going to be a tough team to beat in 2022.