Grading the Raiders OL Through Four Games

Overall, the Raiders are 13th in passing yards and 14th in passing yards. That is without two of their best linemen, Richie Incognito and Trent Brown. Denzelle Good filled in for both the right tackle and left guard spots. Rookie John Simpson got an extensive look for Incognito at first. Sam Young also made a start at right tackle despite getting cut in early September. 

Football Outsiders ranks the Raiders 15th in pass pro and 22nd in run blocking based on the adjusted sack and adjusted line yards which you can read more about here. If you follow PFF’s grades they have tackle Young as the No. 2 graded tackle. Rodney Hudson is the second-highest Raiders’ o-lineman. Good, Kolton Miller, and Gabe Jackson all rank in the average category.

Competition

New Orleans is the best group the Raiders o-line played so far. Carolina, New England, and Buffalo all rank in the bottom half of d-lines per Football Outsiders. Here is what the film tells us. 

Strengths

Overall, the Vegas offensive line is a strong and athletic group that is good at positioning themselves in zone and outside runs. They bring good play speed due to their athletic feet and good processing. 

Forceful

They are highly competitive and tough. They do not give up their play pre snap too often and find ways to get added surges towards the goal line and in short yardage. This group also covers downfield on passes. 

Movement

As a unit, they do well getting to the second level off of double teams. This unit is also good at using their hands to extend defensive linemen in pass pro. They keep their feet alive and locking out interior defensive linemen. The Raiders pass pro is also solid even though players like Young can get pushed back. 

Old Faithful

Getting upfield on screens or moving via pulls are not problems for this group. Hudson continues to show he is the class of interior offensive lineman and one of the most consistent players in Silver and Black. Miller’s pad level and punch timing is much improved compared to past years although he will occasionally fall into bad habits versus speed. 

Weaknesses

They don’t have the same nastiness when finishing blocks without Brown or Incognito. In pass pro, the tackles Young and Miller can struggle with pad level and punch timing versus speed. Longer drop backs can also hurt this team as they can be hurt by double-moves.

Guards Good and Jackson will also get stalemated occasionally in the run due to pad level and hand placement. Simpson needs some help keeping his feet and balance when getting to the second level. His hands, processing speed and punch timing also need work.

Bottom Line 

The Raiders offensive line has been good considering all the changes they have had to make due to injuries. Trent Brown returned to practice from injury this week which is a promising sign for a Raiders offensive line that needs their highest paid player back. 

Bright Spot

Simpson is only a rookie. He can still develop into a solid starting guard given some more time. Miller continues developing into a good tackle. Good and Jackson are both solid to good starters. Good will be better playing left guard full time and Jackson will improve with Brown at his side. Hudson is still really good in both run and pass pro. 

Help

Their pass pro is solid and should also benefit from getting Henry Ruggs back outside. The wide receiver gives QB Derek Carr an explosive target who should help him get the ball out faster as well as keep defenses honest in play action.