A Better Option Was Available for Raiders in Third Round

A lot of things went badly for the Las Vegas Raiders last season. Poor head coaching decisions led to a roster that never felt connected. Above all, one of their biggest problems was the poor performance of their offensive line. Injuries didn't make it any better, as they saw their best offensive lineman, Kolton Miller, miss significant time in 2025.

That was one of Klint Kubiak's and this new Raiders regime's biggest priorities in free agency, which is why they didn't hesitate to make Tyler Linderbaum the highest-paid center in NFL history. They recently inked a deal with one of their recent draft picks, bolstering their offensive line even further.

Bolstering the Offensive Line

The Raiders selected former Texas A&M Aggie Trey Zuhn III with the 27th pick of the third round. He started all four years in college at left tackle, but is already projected to be their backup center due to his length being a bad matchup against NFL-caliber edge rushers.

However, he has a quick first step and leadership experience. That makes him an ideal backup to Linderbaum, from whom he can soak up a lot of knowledge. He has all the tools and fundamentals to be a solid backup, which is what the Raiders need at arguably the most important part of the offensive line.

Important Depth, at What Cost?

Locking Zuhn III is important for the future of their offensive line, but I can't help but wonder if they drafted him too soon. I like their mentality of addressing their offensive line in the first three rounds, but did it really have to be a center when they already gave Linderbaum such a massive contract extension?

Gennings Dunker and Caleb Tiernan were both still on the board when the Raiders made their selection, and they even could've traded down and still been in range for those offensive tackles. They had an opportunity to draft a potential starter next season, but the only way their third-round offensive lineman will start now will be if Linderbaum gets injured.

They could've even taken Chris Bell with the selection they used on Zuhn III, instead of waiting until the sixth round to draft Malik Benson. It's important depth regardless, but I wonder if the Raiders will grow to regret their decision.

There were better options available on the board, and this could be another draft-day decision that can come back and haunt them.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as A Better Option Was Available for Raiders in Third Round.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:30 PM.