Despite a strong offseason thus far of bolstering the trenches with veteran additions like superstar center Tyler Linderbaum and a solid depth piece in Spencer Burford, the Las Vegas Raiders swung on an offensive lineman again in Round 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Trey Zuhn III, a Texas A&M product, is now a member of the Silver and Black. And while exactly what position he will play is a mystery, his very presence is a threat to the Raiders' crew of young offensive linemen they already have in the building. It's all a collaborative effort, but jobs are on the line here.
Whoever picks up the new system the quickest will be on the field. And to do that, it helps to have experience in a similar scheme or an inside track to getting in the coaching staff's good graces. For Zuhn III, however, he has a big fan in the front office who has apparently had his eyes on him for years.
Las Vegas Raiders assistant GM Brian Stark reveals Trey Zuhn has been on the radar for years
John Spytek and assistant GM Brian Stark, who came over from the Denver Broncos a year ago after carving out a career in college scouting, spoke to the media after Day 2 of the draft. When Stark was asked what stood out on tape with Zuhn III, he revealed just how long he's been watching that tape.
“Zuhn’s a player — he’s been a good player there for a couple years, so he’s a guy that has been on the radar for a couple of years," Stark conceded. "(He) added some more versatility to his game by not just playing tackle now, but showing the versatility to go to center in-game like Spy was saying. He’s always shown that; he’s always played with that temperament. And then now with that added to his game, it just increased his value as a player. You watch him, all he does is block people. Which is what you want those guys to do.”
Now, it should be noted first that Stark initially had Zuhn III on his radar while working in Denver. You know, for that Broncos team with boatloads of homegrown talent and arguably the best offensive line in the entire NFL? I digress.
It sounds like Zuhn III, who had 54 college starts in the SEC, got to practically grow up as a player in front of Starks' eyes. Whatever caught Starks' attention all those years ago kept him intrigued, and when Zuhn III continued to improve and demonstrate versatility, the pick appeared to be a no-brainer.
Some players are late bloomers like Treydan Stukes and Keyron Crawford, the Raiders' other Day 2 picks. Others are highly-coveted after a year of domination on the college football circuit, like Fernando Mendoza. And others are like Zuhn III, somehow both consistent and steadily rising.
If Zuhn III can somehow continue to improve under the tutelage of offensive line coach Rick Dennison (who, back in the day, attended Zuhn III's rival high school in Fort Collins, Colorado, the city that Klint Kubiak went to college in), then Las Vegas may have something special on its hands.
And if those days ever come, Brian Stark will look like a genius. But if Zuhn III struggles out of the gates or never pans out, then Raider Nation will know where to put the onus. Something tells me, though, that Stark wouldn't have stuck his neck out like that if he didn't feel pretty confident.
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