John Spytek has received a lot of praise for his second draft as General Manager of the Raiders, and as many have pointed out, some of Spytek’s best work in this year’s draft came after Fernando Mendoza fell in his lap with the first overall pick.
Second-round pick Treydan Stukes looks like a starter in the secondary right away and third-round pick Trey Zuhn III could end up competing to start at as many three different positions between now and the start of the season.
It’s no secret the Raiders loved Zuhn going into the draft, but was he the player Spytek was targeting in the third round?
Based on a draft video released by the Carolina Panthers earlier this month, the Raiders made a call to the Panthers in the third round of the draft and tried to trade up from pick 91 to pick 83.
The Panthers turned down the Raiders’ offer (Kansas City was trying to trade up to pick 83, as well) and selected Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II.
Ultimately, Spytek didn’t move up from pick 91 and there are a few explanations to why it might have played out that way.
It’s possible the Panthers or someone else drafted the player the Raiders wanted, or maybe there wasn’t a team drafting after the Panthers that was interested in trading down.
It was reported shortly after the draft that the decision makers in Las Vegas liked Indiana running back Kaelon Black, who went to the 49ers one pick ahead of the Raiders, but listening to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter this week, it sounds like Zuhn was the player the Raiders were trying to move up for.
“I told you that they liked Trey Zuhn,” Capenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“[He was] the number one offensive linemen in the SEC, and one of the top offensive linemen in America. The Raiders craved him. Multiple teams craved him… and when he dropped to [the Raiders], it was like Christmas. Let’s just say that in my opinion, the Raiders were considering even moving up to get him. Let’s just say that in Hondo’s opinion. The Raiders were even considering moving up to get them. Let’s leave it there… They don’t like Trey Zuhn. They love him.”
Raiders hit a “Home Run” with Zuhn in Round 3
CBS Sports analyst Mike Renner said the Zuhn pick was one of his favorite picks of the draft.
“With the 91st pick, the Las Vegas Raiders select Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn. This is an A plus pick. When you get a guy who’s in my top 50 at 91 overall, I’m obviously going to love it,” Renner said this week on Pushing the Pile.
“I love it for a number of reasons. One is that Zuhn is super versatile. He’s played left tackle for the majority of his career, but he’s also played center this past year at Texas A&M. I think he could play guard as well. The second reason, he’s super athletic. I mean, the guy on the move is great. He uses his hands really well. His lateral agility is exactly what he’ll need in Klint Kubiak’s offense. In that running scheme, I think he’s a plug and play starter with how much football he’s played. And if you’re getting a plug and play starter on the offensive line at pick 91, you’re hitting a home run.”
For now, it sounds like the plan is to give Zuhn opportunities at multiple positions and figure out where he fits later.
The California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore talked about Zuhn’s development last week on the team’s flagship radio station, and he believes the rookie is on track to start the year as a backup at multiple positions.
“It’s going to be really interesting to watch the way he develops and where he kind of slots in. I would imagine just now sitting here, May 21st, he probably ends up being your backup swing guard, center, tackle, you name it, can do everything in the second grouping by the time the season gets rolling,” Bonsignore said on the JT the Brick Show.
“I wonder what the development looks like for him. If there’s a way he can kind of carve out a role as a starter, likely at that left guard spot. I mean, there’s going to be a lot of guys competing for it there.”
x: @raidersbeat