Trey Zuhn III was drafted to be a chess piece for the Las Vegas Raiders, but Klint Kubiak and his staff haven't had that "checkmate" moment just yet (I don't play chess, sorry). He primarily played left tackle in college, with a bit of center mixed in, but he was announced as a guard on draft night.
Oh, and he's played exclusively at right tackle through two preseason games.
Clearly, the Raiders are throwing Zuhn III into the fire and having him wear many hats at the beginning of his career. And while his calling card is his versatility, as a third-round pick, eventually, the idea should be to let Zuhn III settle in at one spot and become a full-fledged starter.
But Las Vegas hasn't quite figured out where to put him in the early going. After initially having him at guard in the spring, when the Raiders came back for the summer, Zuhn III was back to playing center and right tackle, but mainly right tackle. A rough showing, however, has altered things once more.
Raiders can't seem to figure out where to put rookie OL Trey Zuhn III yet
It stood to reason that Las Vegas would move Zuhn III around the formation during the preseason and determine where he fits best up front. But all 65 of his offensive snaps have come at the right tackle position. After he played on the left side and was drafted as a guard, how did the Raiders get here?
Well, Zuhn III started taking reps at right tackle just after reports surfaced that starter DJ Glaze was struggling at camp. And in the first preseason game, Zuhn III looked like a player capable of lining up at tackle in the NFL and challenging for the starting gig, as he played well vs. the Arizona Cardinals.
In 20 pass-blocking snaps, he gave up just one hurry and notched a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.1, which is very good. But against a much better foe in the Houston Texans, Zuhn III looked like a rookie, or maybe even a player whose best odds may be at playing guard in the NFL.
Against Houston, in 22 pass-blocking reps, he gave up three total pressures, which included a quarterback hit. He had several "welcome to the NFL" moments against Jadeveon Clowney, earning a PFF grade of just 36.7 in that facet for the contest. It was a really rough outing for him.
As a run-blocker, Zuhn III has fared incredibly well. But it doesn't feel like a coincidence that, after his tough day in the second preseason game, the Raiders have put Zuhn III back at center during practices ahead of the last exhibition contest.
And maybe this has nothing to do with Zuhn III. Maybe Las Vegas wants to see what Jordan Meredith can do at guard and what someone like Isaiah Jatta can do with the second-teamers at right tackle. Perhaps his versatility plays perfectly into the Raiders' staff experimenting up front all preseason.
Or, maybe it means that they just don't feel comfortable with him at any one spot yet and are still waiting for something to click with the young player. It could also mean that they want him to have experience at both spots because if anyone goes down, Zuhn III would be the next man up.
Again, though, Las Vegas made a third-round investment in him, and he eventually needs to become a starter in one spot or another. It is very, very early in the process for him, and the Raiders' offensive line is much improved. It's tougher to crack the starting lineup than it was at this time last year.
But the Silver and Black just haven't had that moment of clarity with Zuhn III yet about where to play him. It'll come, I'm sure, and it'll be interesting to see where he eventually ensconces himself. He'll always be a malleable piece up front, and that is valuable.
Starting is the end goal, though, and you can only start at one spot.
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