Raiders GM Telesco Must Stay the Course This Offseason

The Las Vegas Raiders had a productive NFL Draft over the offseason. With an even more pivotal draft approaches, one area of the roster must remain a focus for general manager Tom Telesco.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager Tom Telesco watches from the sidelines during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Football is the ultimate team sport, and while the Las Vegas Raiders will likely select a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, there are other positions the Raiders must address that are nearly as critical as quarterback. While quarterbacks are undoubtedly the most pivotal position on the field, they are useless without a solid offensive line.

Since Telesco and the Raiders used two of their first three draft picks in this year's NFL Draft on offensive linemen, they do not necessarily need to spend a high draft pick on another one this offseason. Unless the Raiders come across an offensive lineman, they like enough to do so.

However, the beauty of the offensive line is that there are plenty of quality offensive linemen teams find in the draft. Based on Telesco and the Raiders' performance in the most recent draft, the Raiders could address the offensive line with a third—or fourth-round pick and still have a relatively high chance of the pick working out.

Las Vegas seems to have found two offensive linemen in Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze, who can fill two spots along the offensive line for years. The Raiders should continue focusing on that unit, as it would only need to find another quality offensive lineman or two in the draft to solidify the offensive line.

If the Raiders added a fringe starting offensive lineman via the draft, three out of the five offensive line spots would be filled with young, quality talent.

Las Vegas would have addressed three of its five offensive line positions and secured a franchise quarterback and one of the best tight ends in the league, all within the last two drafts.

That would be essentially an entirely new offensive line, addressing one of the Raiders' most significant weaknesses over the last few seasons. It would be a substantial win for the Raiders in Telesco's first two seasons with the team.

Much of the blame for the Raiders' poor performance over the last two seasons has been placed on the team's coaches, quarterbacks, and running backs. However, all three have been replaced more often than the Raiders' offensive line players.

The Raiders have gone through multiple head coaches, offensive coordinators, quarterbacks, and running backs, and many of the same issues have persisted. However, the offensive line has had many of the same faces over that same span.

The Raiders need a new quarterback and need to overhaul their offensive line. They should consider using a second—or third-round draft pick, or maybe even a fourth, on an offensive lineman.

Then, they should use some of the over $100 million in freed-up cap space on a quality offensive lineman in free agency. That, plus one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, could turn things around quickly.

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