Going into this year’s draft, the Raiders were strong candidates to draft an offensive tackle.
Jermaine Eluemunor followed his former offensive line coach to the New York Giants in free angency and the Raiders didn’t have an obvious answer at the position after his departure.
GM Tom Telesco wasn’t willing to pass on Brock Bowers with the 13th pick, but if the Georgia tight end had not been available it was reported at the time that they would have drafted a right tackle.
“They loved [Joe] Alt,” Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast in May. “They didn’t think there was a chance they were going to get Alt, and they loved [Taliese] Fuaga. I believed, and I believe it was the feeling in the building, that they were going to end up [drafting] Fuaga.”
Once the Raiders drafted Bowers they were still in the market for a right tackle, but didn’t take one until the 77th pick. To some, D.J. Glaze was drafted too early, but to this point he has lived up to expectations in training camp.
“Coming into this camp, a lot of guys didn’t know about him,” Hondo said of Glaze. “They knew him… but didn’t know what his contribution would be. They know who he is now. He has impressed a lot of people. He is a very hard worker.”
“I had someone tell me last night that something that what really impressed them about Glaze was that he’s in his playbook,” Hondo continued. “He’s in his notebook. He’s listening. He’s asking questions. I think DJ Glaze is ahead of where we thought he would be [and] when I say ‘we’ I’m referring to me and then the people in the organization that helped me build my expectations.”
For what it’s worth, other beat writers around the team have been pleasantly surprised by how Glaze is holding up against a defensive end group that is among the best in the NFL.
It’s early, and the preseason should offer a clearer picture of what the Raiders have in Glaze, but early indications have been positive.
It was reported in May that third-year player Thayer Munford was “entrenched” as the Raiders right tackle, but it sounds like the team could end up with options at the position sooner than later.
