Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
Heading into the draft, offensive line was considered among the biggest needs for the Las Vegas Raiders. However, they decided against adding a single one in the draft. That didn’t stop the team from adding some rookie offensive linemen.
Perhaps the most notable offensive lineman not to get drafted was former Arkansas offensive tackle Dalton Wagner. He had a number of suitors but decided to go to Las Vegas. A big reason for that is that the Raiders gave him $225,000 in contract guarantees, which is more than any other player has gotten in undrafted free agency this year, per AtoZ Sports Nashville reporter Doug Kyed.
#Raiders OT Dalton Wagner (Arkansas) has the highest guarantee among UDFAs so far. $225k in total guarantees, $25k signing bonus.
Though Wagner wasn’t drafted, the Raiders must be high on him to give him so much guaranteed money. He’ll have a chance to win the starting right tackle spot this year. He’s 6-foot-8, 320 pounds, and started all four years at right tackle in college. Jermaine Eluemunor and Brandon Parker will start ahead of him on the depth chart but neither have the starting right tackle job locked down. If Wagner comes on strong, he’ll have a very good chance of making the team and potentially playing meaningful snaps this season. He’s not the most athletically gifted player but his size makes him very difficult for defensive linemen to move him.
Raiders Also Add McClendon Curtis
Wagner wasn’t the only notable undrafted free agent offensive lineman that the Raiders added. The team is also bringing in Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis, as first reported by Heavy Sports’ Matt Lombardo.
Curtis is a great get for the Raiders. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projected him to be a fifth or sixth-round pick so getting him in free agency is a steal. He’s athletic for an offensive lineman and has played at multiple spots along the offensive line. Curtis could be in the mix to play right tackle but he’s much more raw than Wagner. He could also be an option at right guard as that’s a position the Raiders have yet to address. He’s got all of the athletic tools to be one of the biggest steals of the year but he’s got some work to do.
Raiders Did Want to Draft Some Offensive Linemen
It was a surprise to see the Raiders completely skip out on drafting an offensive lineman in the draft. However, that doesn’t mean the team didn’t have plenty on their board. According to general manager Dave Zielger, there were offensive linemen that they liked but the way the board fell made it impossible for them to add one.
“The board at a couple of spots just didn’t fall that exact way, ” Ziegler said during his April 29 media availability. “There were some offensive linemen that we targeted in the draft. A couple got picked a spot or two before we were going to take them and we had to pivot and go in a different direction, but this is also the next phase of team building also. So, between now and the start of the season, there’s going to be different opportunities, whether it’s people that are still on the street, whether there’s trade opportunities, whether it ends up being at the cutdown. There’s going to be some areas of the team that we still want to target and grow.”d
Luckily, the Raiders were able to land two of the better offensive linemen to hit undrafted free agency.