The Raiders drew a good amount of criticism when they took Maryland offensive tackle D.J. Glaze with the 77th-overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Draft Network called Glaze one of the biggest reaches in the draft, and Pro Football Focus shared a similar sentiment on the pick…
“[Glaze] was the biggest reach of the draft so far based on big boards,” a PFF column said in May. “Glaze was the 77th pick in the draft, but he ranked 257th on PFF’s big board, a projected late seventh-rounder or an undrafted free agent. Glaze’s production at Maryland was very consistent, as he graded out in the low 70s in each of the past three seasons, but his athleticism leaves a lot to be desired and his future may be at guard rather than tackle.”
Glaze has yet to play in a preseason game, so there won’t be any victory laps from Raiders GM Tom Telesco for a while, but it sounds like even Telesco has been pleasantly surprised by what Glaze has been able to do in training camp.
Telesco acknowledged this week what beat writers have been saying about the rookie all week. Glaze is holding up in practice against arguably the best defensive lineman in the NFL.
“He’s 21 years old,” Telesco said this week on the JT The Brick Show. “And it was cool to see on Tuesday, our first day in pads, everyone was a little bit anxious, especially a rookie that’s 21 years old and in the first period Thayer Munford had a small little injury where he couldn’t get back in there, and all of a sudden D.J. is in the huddle, first snap of training camp in full pads and he’s got Maxx Crosby right over him, and he held his own.”
“[He has] a maturity level. He doesn’t get panicked, which can happen with tackles,” Telesco continued. “Offensive linemen are hard to find, but he’s a little farther along than I anticipated right now.”
It’s early in the process, but if the Raiders landed a starting right tackle in the third round, Telesco deserves a lot of credit. The roster appeared to be desperate for a right tackle entering the draft, but Telesco chose to pass in the first round on one of the best offensive tackles in the draft.
If Brock Bowers turns out to be one of the better tight ends in the NFL and Glaze develops into a starting offensive tackle… that would be one of the savviest draft maneuvers the Raiders have pulled off in more than a decade.
x: @raidersbeat