Oakland Raiders’ 2013 Draft Class On the Edge

Nov 2, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril (56) is defended by Oakland Raiders tackle Menelik Watson (71) at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Menelik Watson

Right tackle Menelik Watson was taken in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Raiders. And his first year with the Raiders he went down with an injury after playing in just five games. Then last year, his second in the NFL, Watson was horrible, giving up 21 hurries and two sacks in nine starts.

The 6’5″, 320-pound Watson is an exceptional athlete, having boxed as an amateur and played college basketball. But this, his third year in the NFL, will be his sixth playing the sport of football. So he has plenty of room to grow as a player but will have to do so here in 2015.

That’s because 2014 No. 1 free agent right tackle Austin Howard is moving back to right tackle in 2015. His experiment at guard clearly failed so this is a battle that worth noting in training camp. When you pay a free agent over $6 million, you need something out of him, second-round pick are important too.

Next: Sio Moore