Raiders get Parham, extra pick on NFL Draft’s 2nd day

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Friday, April 29, 2022 | 7:55 p.m.

Updated Friday, April 29, 2022 | 8:03 p.m.

The newest Raider may have lost count of how many times he switched positions during his college football career.

Dylan Parham bounced around three different spots during his freshman year at University of Memphis alone, arriving as a tight end, then moving to defensive end in preseason and ultimately winding up an offensive lineman during bowl season. He went on to play every position on the line sans left tackle, settling in as a right guard this past season and reaching the All American Athletic Conference’s first team.

“Being able to show my versatility, I feel like that’s one of the things they really liked about my playing style,” Parham said on a Zoom call with media. “I definitely feel confident across the entire offensive line.”

Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler later confirmed Parham’s suspicions, saying his success at multiple positions “was a big part of the allure” in selecting him with the 90^th overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound 22-year-old became the first member of the 2022 Raiders draft class after the team traded picks in the first two rounds in the deal with the Green Bay Packers for Davante Adams.

They also moved back four spots from No. 86 on Friday night and acquired a fifth-rounder pick for their trouble in a deal with the Tennessee Titans. The Titans moved up to take rapidly falling, expected first-round pick Malik Willis at quarterback, but the Raiders’ eyes were fixated on Parham.

Las Vegas has several holes on the offensive line, and Parham could help with several of them depending on where he winds up. He’ll get immediate reps at both guard and center, according to Ziegler.

“We’ll let him come in and see what he can do,” Ziegler said. “The more that he can do, we’re going to allow him to do it. We’re not going to set out and say, ‘You can start here or start there.’ We’re just going to give him the opportunity and see where it goes.”

Parham admitted to being “not too familiar” with the Raiders’ roster and organization as a whole but, at the same time, wasn’t surprised to land in Las Vegas. He met with the Raiders at the NFL Scouting Combine in March in Indianapolis, and felt confident about the meeting.

So did Ziegler.

“We had already watched the film throughout the fall, so we had interest based on what he had put on film,” Ziegler said. “But the combine was a peek under the curtain a little bit, just to get to know him as a person. It was a good first impression.”

Parham started 51 games over five years with Memphis, not including a redshirt season out of high school in Carrolltown, Ga. He reportedly put on more than 60 pounds during his time at Memphis to fit better on the offensive line.

He’s still undersized for NFL offensive-lineman standards, but Ziegler says athleticism and ability to operate in space drew the Raiders toward Parham. He won’t be expected to start right away, but he also could if he impresses through training camp.

Andre James seems entrenched at center after a productive first year as starter, but both Alex Leatherwood and John Simpson struggled at the guard spots. The Raiders will get back guard Denzelle Good next year after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, but a path to immediate playing time for Parham exists.

“Wherever they need me to come in Day 1 and work that position, that’s what I’m willing and ready to do,” he said.

Parham is the only Raiders’ rookie for now, but he’s going to have plenty of peers by tomorrow afternoon. Las Vegas now has five picks on the final day of the draft, including one fourth-rounder and three fifth-rounders, after the trade down with the Titans.

The Raiders weren’t active participants during the first two days of the draft in Las Vegas, but that’s about to change with the event’s conclusion.

“You can look at it a couple different ways,” Ziegler said. “It can give you a couple swings, more players and gives you more collateral too to move up and down the board and those types of things. Overall, it was nice because it gives you more flexibility.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or