The offensive line played better in Week 4 for the Raiders as they were able to control the line of scrimmage. The Raiders ran for over 200 yards and they got their first win of the season.
One of the big reasons why that happened was due to the play of rookie guard Dylan Parham, who has started all four games for the Raiders.
In a recent article by Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top 15 rookies after the first four games of the season. Surprisingly, Parham showed up on the list at No. 8 after a strong performance in Week 4.
Here is what Renner had to say about the third-round pick from Memphis so far:
“Four weeks in, and the data is clear: Parham looks much more comfortable at right guard than center. He earned an 82.3 overall grade in Week 1 and a 77.2 mark this past week at right guard. In Weeks 2 and 3, he earned overall grades of 53.2 and 56.7, respectively, at center.
It makes sense, given that Parham played right guard last season at Memphis, and will be something to monitor if he’s jostled around going forward.”
As Renner mentioned, it’s clear that Parham is just more comfortable at guard than he is at center. And with Andre James back in the lineup, he is able to focus just on right guard and that has paid off for the Raiders.
While the Raiders still have a lot of unanswered questions on their offensive line, Parham isn’t one of them. Look for him to continue to start at right guard for the remainder of the season.
