Raiders: Kolton Miller as important as ever entering 2022 season

The Las Vegas Raiders have issues up front along the offensive line, but left tackle Kolton Miller is on the verge of becoming a Pro Bowl player.

After being drafted by the then-Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, UCLA star Kolton Miller was immediately inserted as the team’s starting left tackle. Though Donald Penn was still on the team, and a solid left tackle, the veteran was moved to the right side, clearing space for Miller to get a baptism by fire in Year 1.

What proceeded was a tough rookie season for Miller, who looked lost and overmatched most weeks. However, you could see flashes that he could be a legitimate left tackle at the NFL level, and since that terrible first season, he has developed into one of the better young left tackles in the game.

Now, entering his fifth season with the Raiders franchise, Miller has established himself as a team leader and captain of this Las Vegas offensive line. The 2022 season brings major question marks when it comes to the offensive line, but luckily for Las Vegas, Miller is not one of them.

In fact, with so many questions to be answered this offseason, Miller is as important to this team as he has ever been.

Raiders have issues to address along the offensive line

Looking ahead, Miller’s spot at left tackle is written in stone, as is Andre James to be the team’s starting center for a second straight season. Outside of those two, it is anybody’s guess as to who will start at both guard spots, and whether or not Alex Leatherwood can take a big step forward in Year 2 and man the right tackle position.

We saw Miller take a huge step forward from Year 1 to Year 2 on the left side, and based on how he looks this offseason, Leatherwood has been putting in the work.

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Regardless, Miller’s importance to this team is as high as it has ever been, especially with so many elite weapons on that side of the ball. If he can hold down the left side, and the Raiders get better play along the entire offensive line, this could be one of the more explosive offenses in all of football.