Oakland Raiders Two-Deep Depth Chart

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Sep 28, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Oakland Raiders guard Gabe Jackson (66) against Miami Dolphins in the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Right Guard: Gabe jackson, Vadal Alexander

The Raiders’ big-time free agency pickup this offseason has bounced left guard Gabe Jackson from left guard to right guard. But that surely wasn’t because the 2014 third-round steal is a bad player. The Raiders were able to steal him in the third round because of a bad 40 time.

They went back to power-blocking in 2014 so Jackson, a 6’3″, 340-pound behemoth, fit. Known as a road-grader since his days at Mississippi State, Jackson has improved his pass-blocking. Pro Football Focus has him rated No. 13 overall and No. 6 in pass-blocking among guards.

Right guard was a weakness for the Raiders when Jackson was on the left side, not boding well for the running game as most teams are right-handed teams, running strongside more often than not. All offseason reports have Jackson transitioning well to the right side so the spot is his.

Backing Jackson up will be Vadal Alexander, a seventh-round steal that would start if the Raiders weren’t so strong at guard. Alexander, like Jackson, is a road-grader, whose 40 time hurt his draft stock. So if something happens to Jackson, there won’t be a big drop-off.

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