One of the players that the Raiders are the most excited about entering the year is right guard Dylan Parham. The third-round guard from Memphis had a solid rookie season, winning the right guard job during camp.
However, it was pretty obvious all season that Parham was undersized and his lack of power was the biggest flaw to his game. But there is a reason why he looked so small last season.
In a recent article by Tashan Reed of The Athletic, he wrote about Parham’s rookie season, including a week where he lost 12 pounds in three days during the bye week. He played most of the season under 310 pounds, but Parham has managed to gain back his strength over the offseason and is back up to 315 pounds.
Parham was notably undersized, which often led to him getting overwhelmed in the trenches. Once the season was over, that’s something he worked diligently to correct. He focused primarily on gaining lower body mass, but he also bulked up his upper body. Now, Parham’s back up to 315 pounds. And while his weight is the same as it was around this time last year, he’s stronger and more muscular.
The Raiders have brought back all five starters on the offensive line from last season and are hopeful that the unit will improve in 2023. If Parham can make a leap in Year 2, the entire unit could improve by quite a bit this season. Keep an eye on Parham through the rest of training camp as he could be one of the most improved players on the roster this year.
