Although the Las Vegas Raiders have over half a season still to play and are nowhere near eliminated from the playoff picture, it never hurts to get familiar with college prospects early in the process. And John Spytek should have his eyes peeled for an elite guard prospect to solidify the offensive interior.
He should look no further than Minnesota's Greg Johnson.
Las Vegas has endured issues at guard all season, and really for the last few years. Dylan Parham was the closest thing they had to a consistent, high-level guard, and even he was up and down. This year has shown that the Raiders miss him, with concerns at left guard and a revolving door on the right.
The Raiders don't seem certain that Jackson Powers-Johnson or Caleb Rogers is the answer at right guard. Spencer Burford has been underwhelming at left guard. Trey Zuhn III looked good in his debut as a starter last Sunday, but the jury is still out on whether he can be a high-end, full-time starter.
So, as boring as it may be to take a guard on Day 1 of the 2027 NFL Draft, if Greg Johnson is available, the Silver and Black really need to consider it.
Minnesota G Greg Johnson can be a force for the Raiders for years
Johnson is everything that an NFL team wants in a guard, and honestly, any offensive lineman.
At 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds, he is a guard by trade, but has been called upon to play both tackle spots and center during his college career, and Johnson has had no real issues in any of those spots. Given that he is around No. 15 on consensus big boards right now, he could be in play for Las Vegas.
What he would be for the Silver and Black is not only versatile, which fans know Spytek and Klint Kubiak covet, but also a powerful and bruising blocker who is strong as an ox but also a great mover in space, scheme-adaptable, and a high-motor player who looks for work and keeps his pads low.
That, combined with his experience as a three-year starter, should be enough for a team to take the plunge on Johnson in Round 1. Just watch him play.
He has a solid anchor in pass protection as well, and in the run game, he works well in combo blocks and climbs to the second level to take on linebackers and defensive backs. His advanced numbers from Pro Football Focus also paint a picture of a player ready to contribute in the NFL in Week 1.
Through the first nine games of what will likely be his final collegiate season, Johnson has allowed zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, and just four hurries on 325 pass-blocking snaps. And two of those hurries came in non-true pass sets, so Johnson is pretty much stonewalling defenders.
And he's accomplished this while having to move back to center, as he played left guard for the first three weeks before the Golden Gophers' starting center went down for the year. But last year, when he played exclusively left guard, Johnson gave up just three sacks, four hits and three hurries.
Two of those sacks and one of those hurries came in a bowl game against New Mexico, which isn't ideal, but this has proven to be more of an off day or an exception rather than the rule. Johnson has had just three games in the last two years in which he's allowed more than one pressure.
In the run game, Johnson can thrive in both gap and zone schemes, as he's a strong player who can move defenders and pull, but can also move well enough laterally in zone schemes to reach his area and then climb to cover second-level defenders.
On top of all of that, Minnesota is averaging 6.0 yards per carry in 2026 when running off him at center, so Johnson is getting it done in a near split of zone and gap schemes. While he is not a perfect prospect, of course, he really is the complete package in terms of what he can do.
Spytek loves himself a player from the Big Ten, and he's plucked from the Golden Gophers tree before with Cody Lindenberg and highly-paid 2025 UDFA Jah Joyner. Again, it's not as exciting as drafting a wide receiver or defensive tackle, but Johnson could patch up a big problem for the Raiders on Day 1.
Greg Johnson is still not a perfect prospect for Las Vegas
Every rose has its thorns, of course.
While Johnson's versatility is a great thing, there is some discussion about which position he fits best at in the NFL. Being good at several spots is a great thing for a backup, but you're not drafting a player in Round 1 to be your sixth man on the offensive line. A clear vision must be had for him.
Johnson is also a very good mover in space, but he has just average recovery athleticism when he gets beat. And when he does lose reps, it is largely because his lower half is slightly weaker than his upper half, so he sometimes relies too much on his arms and torso rather than his legs or core.
He also gets penalized a bit more than one would like, as Johnson has drawn 16 penalties in his college career, and already four as a senior. Johnson had seven in 2024 before improving to just four in 2025, but he's taken a step back in this realm to begin the 2026 campaign.
Again, no prospect is perfect, and Johnson would be an incredible get for the Raiders in Round 1 to finally solve their guard issues. But these shortcomings are something to monitor with him for the rest of the season, and it'll be interesting to see how he tests and how the pre-draft process goes.
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