<
>

Las Vegas Raiders NFL draft picks 2022: Analysis for every selection

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The 2022 NFL draft is now in the books and every Las Vegas Raiders' draft pick will be analyzed here.

The draft will be held in Las Vegas on the strip in the area adjacent to Caesars Forum two years after it was initially scheduled. The 2020 NFL draft was turned into a virtual event because of COVID-19.

Here's a pick-by-pick look at how each player Las Vegas has selected will fit.

Analysis of every NFL pick | Updated depth charts


Round 3, No. 90 overall: Dylan Parham, OL, Memphis

My take: The Raiders' biggest need coming into the draft was on the offensive line -- didn't matter whether at tackle or on the interior. In Parham, Las Vegas has a versatile former high school tight end and linebacker who probably best translates to center, which is interesting in that the Raiders' previous regime anointed Andre James as its center of the future last year. And if Parham translates as a guard, he brings athleticism to a group that includes starters John Simpson and Alex Leatherwood -- last year's first-round pick, as well as Denzelle Good -- who is returning from a torn ACL after being a starter in 2020.


Round 4, No. 122 overall: Zamir White, RB, Georgia

My take: An interesting pick considering the Raiders declined to pick up the fifth-year option on former Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs a day earlier and with Las Vegas already having Kenyan Drake, Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah. The 6-foot, 215-pound White is a power running back with speed -- he had a 4.49 40-time -- though he dealt with injuries earlier in his college career and needs to improve his pass blocking.


Round 4, No. 126 overall: Neil Farrell Jr., DT, LSU

My take: At 6-4, 338 pounds, Farrell is massive, and as such, he fills a real and immediate need in the trenches and in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme. He can occupy two blocks at once, freeing up others on the outside. He saw more action at nose tackle last season (221 snaps) than his previous two seasons combined (15) and 6 of his 11 tackles for loss came from the nose, including 6 of his 13 run stops.


Round 5, No. 175 overall: Matthew Butler, DT, Tennessee

My take: Another defensive tackle for a team that signed four DTs in free agency, including Bilal Nichols, and re-signed Johnathan Hankins and, one round earlier, drafted one. Hey, coach Josh McDaniels said he would go best player available, regardless of position and, well, here we are. Butler was actually a higher-rated prospect than Farrell and, to paraphrase McDaniels’ thinking, the Raiders just made the interior of the defensive line a strength … if only by numbers.


Round 7, No. 238 overall: Thayer Munford, OL, Ohio State

My take: Munford made a highlight film against Michigan -- but for Aidan Hutchinson, who bull-rushed Munford and bowled him over. Look, it was one play, and it was against the eventual No. 2 overall draft pick. Munford, though, brings versatility to a new regime that values versatility to the Nth degree. So he’s got that going for him. He is also the second of the Raiders’ first five picks to be an offensive lineman. Las Vegas needs reinforcements there, so at this spot, the Raiders hope he is more than depth as he shifted to left guard last season after playing 98% of his offensive snaps at left tackle previously.


Round 7, No. 250 overall: Brittain Brown, RB, UCLA

My take: Wait, what? If Zamir White in the fourth round was intriguing, Brown with the Raiders’ final pick is a head-scratcher. Keep in mind, Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs did not have his fifth-year option picked up a day earlier and Las Vegas also has three other veteran tailbacks as well as a fullback on the roster. The Raiders addressed three position groups with their six picks -- running back, O-line and D-line – and did not touch cornerback, linebacker or safety. The Raiders do have $20 million in cap space coming their way on June 1.