Largely, the game of [American] football starts and ends inside the trenches. Well, quarterback play aside, that is. Teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles have managed to stay competitive for years on-end thanks to their seemingly endless supply of talent on both the offensive and defensive lines; some fans believe those are footsteps the Las Vegas Raiders should follow in.
But, not all situations are the same. One look at the Eagles’ roster proves that true when comparing it to what the Raiders have going on.
Is drafting Armand Membou a luxury the Las Vegas Raiders can’t afford?
Sure, a team such as Philadelphia can afford to go after offensive and defensive linemen each draft, even as early as the first round, despite both units already being plenty serviceable. That’s because, when you look at the Eagles’ roster, all you see is explosive talent.
Take running back Saquon Barkley, for example, who won Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. At wideout, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith make up what’s debatably the best receiving duo in the National Football League.
On defense, stars as Darius Slay, Hassan Reddick, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and now Zack Baun have held down positions outside of the defensive line for years. Certainly, the Eagles are, and have been, a team that can afford to do, frankly, whatever they feel like doing in the draft.
The Raiders, not so much.
Meanwhile, it’s painful to look at what Sin City’s football club has outside of the trenches and their man under center. Actually, Brock Bowers aside, there isn’t much to brag about.
The team’s wide receiver room is one Jakobi Meyers away from being the worst in the business. The running back room is already there, even.
Defensively, both starting safeties have been lost. Both starting linebackers as well. Two-of-three starting cornerbacks, too. Safety Jeremy Chinn and linebacker Elandon Roberts serve as the replacements.
Las Vegas has many things to worry about heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, and while one can argue D.J. Glaze can be upgraded, the offensive line simply isn’t one of those things. After all, on top of being plenty serviceable, Glaze plays on one of the team’s only well-built units.
To say nothing of the fact Glaze has only one year of NFL experience under his belt.
Perhaps Membou truly is a luxury the Raiders cannot afford. We’ll see if the team agrees on Thursday, when the big event kicks off.
*Top Photo: Michael Wade/Getty Images
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