After re-signing Richie Incognito, Denzelle Good, and Jordan Devey, the Las Vegas Raiders appear to be set at offensive guard. Where does this leave the organization as far as selecting one in the 2020 NFL Draft?
Why should the Raiders select a guard in the draft?
The elephant in the Silver and Black room is Gabe Jackson and his close to $10 million salary. Both Good and Devey filled in well in the five games Jackson didn’t play in. Even when he did return, the 2014 second-round pick did not appear to be 100% healthy and his performance showed. General manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden may choose to move on from the guard during the draft while picking up a young player to develop. Also, Incognito turns 37 this year.
With that being said, here are a few guards the Raiders should seriously consider in the middle rounds of the draft.
Related: Raider must not neglect offensive line in the draft
Damien Lewis, LSU, 6-foot-2, 337 lbs.
Speaking of replacing Jackson, Lewis is his clone. They both weighed the same and had the same arm length at their respective combines. Jackson had the edge on Lewis on the bench press, 30 to 27, but Lewis outpaced Jackson on the 40 by running a 5.24 while the veteran ran a 5.51 then. Lewis, like Jackson, can move the pile. He had a great week of practice ahead of the Senior Bowl. Lewis does need to work on his footwork during pass protection, something coach Tom Cable can help him with.
Projected Round: 2-4
Netane Muti, Fresno State, 6-foot-3, 315 lbs.
Muti may be the most athletically talented guard amongst these prospects. The bad news? He may also be the biggest risk. 2017 was his last and only healthy season with the Bulldogs. He suffered season-ending Achilles and Lisfranc injuries in 2018 and 2019 respectively. When playing through, you can see the first-round type of talent though. Muti would be a prototype guard in Jon Gruden’s West Coast offense. He did not participate in the running portions of the NFL Combine but did the bench press and pumped out a combine high 44 reps.
Projected Round: 2-4
Logan Stenberg, Kentucky, 6-foot-6, 317 lbs.
Stenberg is not the athlete that Incognito was coming out of college but they both play with the same demeanor. He does not shy away from making it a personal battle with whomever he may be facing. A solid run blocker that has decent enough footwork to win one on one battles.
Projected Round: 4-5
John Simpson, Clemson, 6-foot-4, 321 lbs.
If there is one thing Mayock made clear last year is that he likes players from Clemson. Simpson is another solid run blocker that needs to improve his footwork in pass protection. He played in the biggest games in college and performed well against top competition. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares him to former Raiders guard Kelechi Osemele.
Projected Round: 3-4
Other Notable Guards for the Raiders
Ben Bartch, St. John’s (Minnesota), 6-6 309. He started his career as a tight end, then gained 75 pounds. He participated in the Senior Bowl.
Solomon Kindley, Georgia, 6-3 337. He’s a 32 game starter, a mauler with an attitude.
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