Big year upcoming for these guys
A new season means new opportunities for just about every player on the roster and the Las Vegas Raiders have several guys who are expected to step into bigger roles this fall. With that in mind, let’s dive into five breakout candidates for the Silver and Black during the 2024 campaign.
Dylan Parham
Since being a third-round pick and the Raiders’ first selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Parham has gotten off to a pedestrian start to his career. He’s recorded grades from Pro Football Focus that are just above PFF’s baseline mark of 60 — 61.9 and 60.4, respectively — faring well against solid competition but struggling against the better defensive tackles in the NFL.
However, the reason for optimism surrounding the Memphis product is that he’s returning to arguably his best position in college at right guard. While it’s a small sample size, Parham also played a couple of games at right guard during his rookie season and those outings resulted in some of the highest PFF Grades of his career.
So, in addition to entering year three where the proverbial switch typically flips for players, Parham will be lining up at his more natural position which has the makings for a breakout performance.
Thayer Munford Jr.
Staying within the 2022 draft class and the trenches, Munford will be entering his first season as an unquestioned starter. He’s gotten a significant amount of playing time in the past as the Raiders’ swing tackle and showed plenty of promise, especially as a run blocker where he earned an 80.4 grade from PFF last year.
The biggest question facing the Ohio State product heading into the campaign is if he can hold up in pass protection after surrendering 28 pressures (four sacks) on 291 opportunities last year, per PFF. However, he did a good job of filling in for Kolton Miller toward the end of the season, and the organization clearly has faith in Munford as the front office turned down opportunities to draft or add some competition at right tackle this offseason.
Isaiah Pola-Mao
Despite entering his third campaign as a pro, Pola-Mao has the fewest amount of game reps during the regular season as he’s primarily been a special teamer so far. However, the coaching staff raved about the safety during the team’s spring practices and he should have a bigger role in the defense now that he’s heading into year three.
While Las Vegas has a couple of quality starting safeties in Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is known for leaning heavily on the position, often putting three on the field at one time.
Also, both Moehrig and Epps are impending free agents, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pola-Mao step into a bigger role in 2024 to allow the coaching staff and front office an opportunity to see what he can bring to the defense heading into the offseason.
Jakorian Bennett
Bennett had the makings of a breakout player at the beginning of last season as he was a Week 1 starter a few months after being a fourth-round pick. However, he wasn’t quite ready for that role and battled some injuries before getting benched after the team’s fourth game.
That being said, the Maryland product was always viewed as more of a project, hence the Day 3 selection. Also, he has a good skill set at cornerback and a lot of his issues as a rookie were mental, which playing in the same defense and having a season of experience under his belt can help fix.
Additionally, Bennett is another young player who also received good reviews during OTAs and minicamp. He appears to be the favorite to win the Raiders’ second starting cornerback spot in training camp.
Tre Tucker
Targets are going to be hard to come by in Las Vegas this fall, but Tucker’s speed gives him the ability to impact a game on just one play. He’s the fastest receiver on the team and the best deep threat, hauling in six catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns on passes thrown 20 or more yards past the line of scrimmage last season, via PFF.
In addition to that, the Cincinnati product showed a lot of growth as a route runner toward the end of last year. He also has familiarity with Aidan O’Connell as they were in the same draft class which will certainly help the wideout get more targets if O’Connell wins the starting quarterback competition.
So, don’t be surprised if Tucker makes a big leap during his second season and finds a way to stand out amongst the Silver and Black’s stable of offensive weapons.