Tag: Kolton Miller

Once cloudy competition on Raiders Offensive line gaining some clarity

Raiders offensive line if the season started today

It was just over a month ago when the Raiders took the field for this year’s training camp. At that time, the only settled spot on the Raiders’ offensive line was Kolton Miller at left tackle. It would appear the rest of the line is taking shape as well.

Let’s look at each position and how it has changed, going from right to left.

Right tackle

At first, it looked like 2021 top pick Alex Leatherwood would get the first crack. Then it was Brandon Parker who was running with the first team. Both of them had dreadful performances in the preseason — first Parker at left tackle, and then Leatherwood at right tackle.

Rookie seventh-round pick Thayer Munford was given a look at right tackle and held his own, while Eluemunor played at left tackle. Munford is now out injured, and with Miller at his left tackle with the first team against the Patriots, Eluemunor was the first team right tackle while Leatherwood came in with the second team.

Eluemunor started at right tackle for Josh McDaniels in New England and he is getting a real shot to grab that job with the Raiders as well.

“I hear about what he’s been doing and the workouts he’s been doing and he looks great,” Derek Carr said of Eluemunor. “Really proud of where he was, where he’s come from, and where he is now. I’m excited to see him just keep growing.”

Right guard

It initially seemed like Lester Cotton Sr was a placeholder until Denzelle Good returned from injury. Then Good returned and promptly retired and Cotton has remained. The former undrafted free agent has drawn praise for showing vast improvement this year, going from practice squad player to projected starter.

Center

The only other offensive lineman besides Miller who has held onto the same spot he had when camp began is center Andre James.

Left guard

As recent as a week ago, it appeared John Simpson was going to return as the starting left guard. Now it’s not looking that way.

In last weekend’s game in Miami, it was rookie third-round pick Dylan Parham who got the start, with Simpson coming in later and Parham moved over to center with the second team.

That continued in joint practices with the Patriots on Tuesday, looking like Parham has passed up Simpson as the favorite to start at left guard.

“He’s got some areas that I’m sure he’s going to want to continue to improve in, but from where he’s started he’s come a long way,” Carr said of Parham. “He’s come a long way. He’s trying to do it the right way and at that position, you’ve got to do it the right way. He’s doing that and I’m proud of him. He’s working really hard and our coaches are pushing him to get everything out of him and he’s accepting it really well.”

Projected lineup

If the season ended today, the starting offensive line would be:

LT Kolton Miller
LG Dylan Parham
C Andre James
RG Lester Cotton Sr
RT Jermaine Eluemunor

This is, of course, barring any additions to try and upgrade the starting lineup with under three weeks until the start of the season.

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Raiders LT Kolton Miller makes top list of top 15 NFL tackles

Kolton Miller named among NFL’s best tackles

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.

The NFL’s top 12 offensive tackles

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar continues our position lists with the NFL’s 12 best offensive tackles.

Things have changed a lot in the NFL’s offensive tackle hierarchy of late, and sadly, for all the wrong reasons. On last year’s list of the league’s best tackles, David Bakhtiari of the Packers ranked first overall, and Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley ranked third. Then, Bakhtiari missed all but one game last season due to an awful knee injury he suffered late in the 2020 season, and word is that he might be ready for training camp this season.

As for Stanley, he missed all but six games in 2020, and all but one game in 2021 with an ankle injury that required multiple surgeries. As is the case with Bakhtiari, the hope is that Stanley will be ready for training camp.

We do not like this. We would prefer to see the best tackles in the business dealing with the best pass-rushers on a regular basis, but this is where it is.

The… well, not “good news,” but the thing this allows, is new names to discover and analyze. In many cases, the new guys on our list this year are players who needed time, patience, and coaching to reach their full potential. You’ll see a few players who came into the NFL, looked like open gates early on, and then figured it out. We always like to see that, at any position.

We have also seen an increasing blurring of the lines in the importance of left tackle and right tackle. As the NFL becomes more of a quick-game league, the front-side protector had best be on point. Five of our tackles this year ply their trade on the right side, including our second- and third-best.

As for the best offensive tackle, outside of Aaron Donald’s place atop our list of interior defensive linemen, no choice was easier than this. If you’re a 49ers fan, you can skip right ahead and start gloating.

Here are Touchdown Wire’s 12 best offensive tackles heading into the 2022 NFL season — along with links to our position lists to date, which lead to our list of the 101 best players overall.

The NFL’s top 13 safeties

The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders

The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks

The NFL’s top 11 linebackers

The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders

The NFL’s top 12 interior defensive linemen

The NFL’s top 12 centers

The NFL”s top 11 offensive guards

Raiders LT Kolton Miller not ranked inside top 10 offensive tackles by NFL decision-makers

Where does #Raiders LT Kolton Miller rank among offensive tackles in the NFL?

The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of uncertainty on their offensive line heading into training camp. Four positions are up for grabs, including both guard spots.

However, the one spot that is secured is the left tackle job as Kolton Miller has improved in every season with the Raiders. The former first-round pick signed a massive contract last offseason and he was fantastic again during the 2021 season.

But how does Miller compare to his peers at the position? In a recent article by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he spoke with over 50 NFL coaches and decision-makers and asked them to rank the top 10 offensive tackles in the NFL heading into the 2022 season.

Surprisingly, Miller did not make the list. However, he did get a blurb on the honorable mention page by Fowler:

“Miller has an impressive combination of size (6-foot-8, 310 pounds) and light feet to help him in pass protection. His 92.6% pass block win rate ranked sixth among tackles. “He’s really good — my only thing with him is he can get off balance and knocked back, not as physical as you’d like,” an AFC executive said.”

Miller is one of the NFL’s best pass protectors and it’s due to his incredible athleticism. He can move and mirror even the quickest EDGE rushers in the NFL, and he’s also improved as a run-blocker. Miller isn’t the most physical offensive tackle as the AFC executive mentioned, but it hasn’t prevented him from being a fantastic left tackle.

With a lot of unknowns on the offensive line for the Raiders entering the year, it is nice knowing that they have the most important spot on the unit secured. And at just the age of 26, Miller should only get better and better for the foreseeable future. Don’t be surprised if this is the year he finally makes the Pro Bowl.

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Ranking the AFC West offensive tackle duos

Ranking the AFC West offensive tackle duos

Offenses rely heavily on the pass protectors in order to be able to execute their plays. If the edge rushers get into the backfield, it doesn’t matter how open the receivers get, the quarterback isn’t getting the ball to them.

The common theme in the AFC West seems to be quality left tackles, with less talent at the right tackle spot. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, after all.

1. Denver Broncos

Starters: LT Garrett Bolles, RT Billy Turner

After some troubles early in his career, Bolles has become one of the best tackles in football. He was second-team All-Pro a season ago and was still among the highest-rated tackles this season. Meanwhile, Billy Turner has quietly played pretty well at right tackle, giving up just three sacks last season.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Starters: LT Orlando Brown Jr, RT Lucas Niang

Brown headed to his third straight Pro Bowl last season, his first with the Chiefs since they acquired him in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. He gave up just four sacks last season. On the other side, Niang has taken ahold of the right tackle job and performed pretty well over nine starts last season. The 2020 third-round pick gave up just two sacks from the right side.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

Starters: LT Rashawn Slater, RT Trey Pipkins

As a rookie first-round pick, Slater headed to the Pro Bowl. That says all you need to know about his talent level. There is some uncertainty on the other side, but Pipkins looked fairly good in two late-season starts — giving up no sacks — that if they decide to go with him, they could feel confident in doing so.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

Starters: LT Kolton Miller, RT Alex Leatherwood

Miller can hang with the best in the division at left tackle. There’s no question about that. But there are serious questions about the other side. Leatherwood has been lining up there throughout the offseason after playing himself out of a job four games into last season. It’s no certainty he continues to be the first-team right tackle, but the fact that he’s been lining up there so far says there aren’t any great options there.

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[lawrence-newsletter]

The NFL’s top 12 offensive tackles

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar continues our position lists with the NFL’s 12 best offensive tackles.

Things have changed a lot in the NFL’s offensive tackle hierarchy of late, and sadly, for all the wrong reasons. On last year’s list of the league’s best tackles, David Bakhtiari of the Packers ranked first overall, and Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley ranked third. Then, Bakhtiari missed all but one game last season due to an awful knee injury he suffered late in the 2020 season, and word is that he might be ready for training camp this season.

As for Stanley, he missed all but six games in 2020, and all but one game in 2021 with an ankle injury that required multiple surgeries. As is the case with Bakhtiari, the hope is that Stanley will be ready for training camp.

We do not like this. We would prefer to see the best tackles in the business dealing with the best pass-rushers on a regular basis, but this is where it is.

The… well, not “good news,” but the thing this allows, is new names to discover and analyze. In many cases, the new guys on our list this year are players who needed time, patience, and coaching to reach their full potential. You’ll see a few players who came into the NFL, looked like open gates early on, and then figured it out. We always like to see that, at any position.

We have also seen an increasing blurring of the lines in the importance of left tackle and right tackle. As the NFL becomes more of a quick-game league, the front-side protector had best be on point. Five of our tackles this year ply their trade on the right side, including our second- and third-best.

As for the best offensive tackle, outside of Aaron Donald’s place atop our list of interior defensive linemen, no choice was easier than this. If you’re a 49ers fan, you can skip right ahead and start gloating.

Here are Touchdown Wire’s 12 best offensive tackles heading into the 2022 NFL season — along with links to our position lists to date, which lead to our list of the 101 best players overall.

The NFL’s top 13 safeties

The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders

The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks

The NFL’s top 11 linebackers

The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders

The NFL’s top 12 interior defensive linemen

The NFL’s top 12 centers

The NFL’s top 12 offensive guards

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, Pro Football Focus, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

Rankings the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10

Who made the top ten players on the Raiders roster?

Things are heating up in the list of the top 25 Raiders. Some very talented players have already been mentioned on the list and now we enter the all important top ten.

PFF gives Raiders a grade of ‘B-‘ for 2018 draft class

How would you grade the 2018 draft class for the #Raiders?

They say you can never judge a draft until at least Year 3 or Year 4. The 2018 draft class for the Raiders is now going into Year 5 and we have a pretty good idea as to how to grade that class.

The first draft during the second Jon Gruden era with the Raiders was certainly an interesting one. They traded down from No. 10 to pick Kolton Miller, a developmental offensive tackle from UCLA. That pick worked out as he’s now one of the best pass-protecting offensive tackles in the NFL.

But what about the rest of the class? If you don’t remember, the Raiders selected P.J. Hall, Brandon Parker and Arden Key on Day 2. They were able to get solid production from Maurice Hurst on Day 3, but that was the about it.

So how would you grade the 2018 class for the Raiders? In a recent article by Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, he re-graded every team’s draft class from 2018 and gave the Raiders a B-. Here is what he had to say about their draft as a whole:

“The 2018 draft introduced us to the Raiders’ absurd draft strategies in the Jon Gruden era. Hall and Parker came straight out of left field when picked, and neither has looked better in the NFL.

Miller was a similar head-scratcher at the time; yet, he’ll go down as the lone Gruden “reach” who worked out. He’s improved considerably every single season, improving from a 49.6 grade as a rookie to 65.0 in Year 2, 73.0 in Year 3, and 84.0 in Year 4.”

P.J. Hall and Arden Key flamed out pretty quickly with the Raiders, but Miller and Parker could be their two starting tackles for the 2022 season. While Miller is clearly the better player, Parker has improved some over the last few years. He’s still better as a backup, but picking him in Round 3 still feels like a slight reach.

The Raiders have certainly had worse draft classes over the years, but this one isn’t fantastic either. Luckily, the selection of Kolton Miller at No. 15 has saved this class from being a failure. He’s only 26 years old and has quickly established himself as one of the best tackles in the NFL.

As a whole, a B- grade feels about right for this class.

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[lawrence-newsletter]

NFL draft history: Every No. 15 overall pick selected since 2000

#NFLDraft history: Looking at every No. 15 overall pick selected since the 2000 #NFLDraft and the #Eagles chances of landing an impact player

The Eagles need impact players on both sides of the ball and with three first-round picks in April’s draft, Howie Roseman will have his best opportunity ever to add game-changing players to the roster.

After missing on picks like Jalen Reagor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Roseman is under pressure to not waste assets or opportunities while attempting to be the smartest man in the room.

Philadelphia currently has the 15th, 16th, and 19th overall picks and we’ll take a look at some of the impact players and draft bust that were selected with the 15th pick.

Raiders, Bears Thursday injury report: Josh Jacobs, Kolton Miller upgraded to full participants

Josh Jacobs, Kolton Miller upgraded to full participants in Raiders practice while Bears still without DE Khalil Mack

Watching Josh Jacobs run on Monday Night, it didn’t look like he was 100% on his injured ankle. It was his first game back after missing the previous two weeks. On Wednesday he was limited in practice, as you might expect, but Thursday the Raiders workhorse was upgraded to a full participant.

So, too, was left tackle Kolton Miller who was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury.

Still missing from practice were cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen (toe) and Damon Arnette (groin) along with RB Peyton Barber (toe) and TE Derek Carrier (pectoral). Limited for the second day was S Johnathan Abram.

The Bears are pretty banged up too. They had six players missing practice for the second straight day including All Pro former Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack who has ribs and foot issues he’s dealing with.

Other notable players not practicing for the Bears include RB David Montgomery (knee) and DT Akiem Hicks (groin).