It is safe to say Kolton Miller has developed into the caliber of left tackle any NFL team would love to have. The former 15th overall pick has been the one steady presence on the Raiders offensive line of late.
Where does he land when compared to his peers, however?
Well, respected offensive line analyst Brandon Thorne put together his list of the league’s top tackles and Miller made the list…just.
“Kolton Miller – Miller has appeared to level off as a solid starting tackle after dramatically improving his body and game over his first few seasons in the league. Considering how raw he was coming out of UCLA and how skeptical many analysts were of his selection in the first-round (including me), the Raiders ultimately made a sound decision by selecting him and deserve credit for how much development has occurred since acquiring him.
Miller still tends to overset rushers, open up too early against speed off the edge (making him vulnerable to adept counter moves) and gets knocked off balance too often, but he is a solid overall pass-protector with good athletic ability to recover and stay attached to blocks. He also has the strength to hold up well against the bull-rush.
Miller is a plus run-blocker with the ability to create instant displacement in the run game and locate second-level targets on the move. He’s also just 26-years old and has only missed two games over his first four seasons.”
Miller’s extension he signed prior to last season currently puts him as the eighth highest paid tackle in the league and sixth among left tackles. It also keeps him under contract until 2025. That’s about right for a young player who has been as dependable as Miller.
As Thorne noted, Miller has missed just two games in his career, both in 2020. Aside from those two games, he has not missed a single snap since his rookie season, when he was battling a knee injury all season.
We can also nitpick his issues, but left tackles as talented as he aren’t easy to find. So, the Raiders are good with the 14th-ranked tackle in the league.