ALAMEDA, Calif. _ The Raiders selected former UCLA offensive tackle Kolton Miller with the 15th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Oakland traded down from the 10th pick to No. 15, where they grabbed a potential starter at right tackle after the release of last year's starter, Marshall Newhouse. Miller could also be insurance at left tackle if Donald Penn's foot injury takes a turn for the worse, before he potentially becomes the starting left tackle when Penn (assumingly) retires after the 2019 season, though no dead cap money accompanies his deal in 2019.
The Raiders have arguably the best interior offensive line in the NFL with Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson, but the tackle spots were inconsistent last season, especially on the right side.
Here's what Miller said at the NFL combine about the difference between left and right tackle:
"It's tough when you're practicing one position and you're training your muscle groups to do one specific action and then all of a sudden, 'Hey, do it on the other side.' It's really not the same. It's something that you do over and over again in practice and you have to develop. It's really hard to switch from one side to the other.
"I'd say I'm more productive at left tackle because that's where I took all the reps this year, but my redshirt freshman year I was interchanged right to left. But I feel more comfortable at left right now."
In exchange for the 10th pick, Oakland received picks 15, 79 and 152.
We'll have more on the Raiders' pick of Miller throughout the night.
