Last year’s offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders was one that was filled with excitement. The Raiders had a brand-new regime in town and had some exciting new faces across the roster. One of the most exciting aspects involved the potential draft picks from that very new regime. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock reached seemingly impossible levels of failure when it came to their draft selections. With that in mind, with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler in town, Raider fans were excited about the possibility of some truly outstanding draft picks. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Raiders’ 2022 draft.
How did the Las Vegas Raiders fare without a first or second round pick?
Round 3: Dylan Parham
Dylan Parham was the first ever selection under the new regime. Since the Raiders traded their first two picks for Davante Adams, they had to wait until the third round to make their first choice, which turned out to be Parham.
Highest graded Raiders in Week 1 vs the Chargers:
🥇 Maxx Crosby – 92.9
🥈 Davante Adams – 88.3
🥉 Nate Hobbs – 83.8
4ï¸âƒ£ Dylan Parham – 82.3
5ï¸âƒ£ Andrew Billings – 78.0 pic.twitter.com/XhDxocd6kb
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) September 16, 2022
Parham had a pretty impressive rookie season, especially for a third rounder. Dylan was thrown straight into the fire immediately and had a very impressive rookie performance against Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa in Week 1. Parham would go on to start a large part of the remainder of the year and do a solid job. The rookie was easily one of the best young guys on the team and should hold a spot on the line for years to come.
Round 4: Zamir White
Zamir was an intriguing prospect coming out of college, but he did not see much action as a rookie. White only had 17 total rushes this season, averaging out to just one per game. Zamir did well with those limited carries, averaging over four yards per carry while finishing the season with 70 yards. Those numbers don’t jump off the page when you hear them, at least not in a good way. Still, White was an unfortunate casualty of the Josh Jacobs-led offensive scheme from Josh McDaniels. White did well as a rookie, and hopefully we will see more action in his sophomore campaign.
Will Matthew Butler and Neil Farrell Jr. make an impact for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023?
Round 4: Neil Farrell Jr.
As is typical for rookies selected in the later rounds, Farrell didn’t see the field too much. Neil wasn’t bad, but he didn’t get a ton of chances to impress the coaching staff. A large part of the reason for this is the ungodly number of close games played in Las Vegas. In close games, the starters dominate the snap counts, and the rookies don’t get a chance to gain experience. Farrell will have to impress the coaching staff this offseason and make his opportunities count next year if he wants to stick around.
Round 5: Matthew Butler
Butler found himself in the same boat as Farrell in his rookie season. A situation like this is unusual: two players at the same position, one of whom struggled for depth throughout the season, are both unable to obtain in-game reps. It goes to show that the coaching staff didn’t have enough faith in Butler. He did record a half-sack but was unable to fill the stat sheet when given opportunities. Even in meaningless games towards the end of the season, Butler was unable to see the field. He will absolutely need to impress the coaching staff at training camp.
Las Vegas Raiders GM Dave Ziegler hit a home run in the seventh round!
Round 7: Thayer Munford Jr.
As a sixth-round pick, Munford actually played very well. In a season full of failures, Munford was one of the few bright spots. Munford joined Parham as two of the top 12 rookie offensive linemen in the 2022 season, according to Pro Football Focus. Munford did well in the passing game but especially excelled as a run-blocker, allowing Jacobs to consistently run off-tackle behind him. If he can keep this up, Munford could become the Raiders’ right tackle of the future.
Round 7: Brittain Brown
Brown was the last selection in this draft class and, to no fault of his own, the least significant. As a seventh-round selection, the chances of making a long career, let alone an immediate impact, are slim. Brown didn’t get much of a chance to make a name for himself this season, but like some others on this list, he simply needs to impress the coaching staff this offseason.
*Top Photo: Las Vegas Sun/Christopher DeVargas