It’s been an eventful week for the Las Vegas Raiders, so much for May being a slow news period. Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo talk aside, there were some positives for the Silver and Black, namely surrounding franchise left tackle Kolton Miller. Of course, it can’t all be good for the Raiders. With the Kansas City Chiefs still the undisputed owners of the AFC West, they could be in play to add another weapon—yes, another one. We’re referring to DeAndre Hopkins, who now finds himself as the premier free agent in the NFL world. Is there any way that general manager Dave Ziegler can counter this?
Let’s recap all of this in our latest edition of Raiders Notes.
Raiders OT Kolton Miler in the top 10 conversation this offseason…
Kolton Miller has largely flown under the radar for most of his career with the Raiders. Many see him as one of the better tackles in the NFL, though not quite “elite.” Of course, like any opinion, it’s a matter of objectivity. On the other hand, what can’t be denied is that Josh McDaniels’ O-line was one of the better units last season, paving the way for Josh Jacobs’ historic campaign and keeping Derek Carr mostly upright.
Pro Football Focus, a publication not often seen as a favorite of Raider Nation, did its due diligence and showed Miller much-deserved praise. Gordon McGuinness listed his “top 32 tackles” for this upcoming season, with Miller sitting nicely in the No. 8 slot.
“Miller was viewed as a bit of a project as the 15th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. But after a rough rookie season, he showed substantial growth between then and 2021. He has produced PFF pass-blocking grades of 81.0 or better in each of the past three seasons and was the 12th-highest-graded run blocker at the position last year, too.”
DeAndre Hopkins coming to the AFC West spells doom for the Raiders, once again.
Regardless of how you feel about Hopkins and the way he handled his exit from the Arizona Cardinals, his talent is undeniable. Like with any big name hitting the open market, water cooler talk about Dave Ziegler picking him up dominated social media this week. However, that seems like an unlikely course of action. The Raiders already boast Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Phillip Dorsett, and Jakobi Meyers.
Still, one of the teams being linked to Hopkins is the Chiefs. As if the Raiders don’t have enough to worry about, their primary divisional rival picking up an All-Pro wideout would certainly create more issues—another weapon that Patrick Graham’s defense needs to account for in 2023. Let’s face it: Hopkins hooking up with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid should be illegal, but alas, it could definitely happen.
Maybe Ziegler should hurry up and counter with Marcus Peters if Hopkins decides to head to Kansas City.
*Top Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
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