The Raiders made their first pick of the draft late on Friday night, selecting offensive guard/center Dylan Parham from Memphis. Not only did he test as an incredible athlete (4.93 40-yard dash), but he was one of the most versatile linemen in the draft.
In a recent article by Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic, he graded every Day 2 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. And for the Raiders at No. 90, he gave them a “B+” grade for the selection of Parham. Here is what he had to say about the pick.
“Parham (6-foot-3, 311) started 51 games — 28 at left guard, 12 at right guard, 11 at right tackle — in the past four seasons. Per PFF, he did not allow a sack on 545 pass block snaps last season.
Parham tested well athletically and was the 72nd-ranked prospect on Brugler’s board. Given his versatility, this pick makes a lot of sense for the Raiders.”
The Raiders needed to add some interior offensive line depth this offseason and they certainly did that with Parham. He’ll likely start the season as one of the top backups with the hope of earning one of the starting guard jobs.
Considering how good Parham was in college and his overall athleticism, this was a fantastic value by the Raiders at No. 90. Now, it’ll be fun to see how he figures into the offensive line rotation for the 2022 season.
