It’s a tight battle at swing tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders; one that’s sure to be even tighter with the return of Thayer Munford.
The head coach-general manager tandem of Pete Carroll and John Spytek are big believers of building through the trenches. So much so that it practically became common thought to believe an offensive lineman at pick six would be the team’s selection.
That didn’t happen.
It didn’t happen in the second round, either. But with the 68th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Spytek turned in a card that had.. cornerback Darien Porter‘s name on it. Still, no offensive linemen were welcomed to the Silver and Black by way of April’s draft.
Until pick 98, and again at pick 99, when the Raiders double-dipped at offensive line with back-to-back picks.
At pick 98, interior O-lineman Caleb Rodgers was welcomed to Sin City. And, at pick 99, tackle Charles Grant from William & Mary was added–a strong candidate to win the swing tackle job in Las Vegas.
Especially with Thayer Munford nursing an undisclosed injury mid-May that kept him off the field for multiple weeks.
Fortunately for Munford, that’s no longer the case. As of Wednesday, the team’s seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft is back in action as he looks to hold off Grant at swing tackle; a job that Munford has held down in past years.
But while Munford has the experience, he hasn’t exactly been adept at keeping quarterbacks clean. Even in limited playing time.
In 2023, the Ohio State alum allowed four sacks with a team-high 28 pressures on only 303 passing downs. Then, in 2024, Munford allowed five sacks on just 123 pass-blocking snaps.
There’s a clear path for Grant to win the job, should he prove he’s ready for NFL action. That’s the question with Grant–is he ready?
The intangibles are undeniable; that’s what made Grant a Day 3 selection hailing from William & Mary. But the level of readiness remains a question.
A question that will get an answer soon enough as OTAs roll onward.
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