Heading into day 3 of the draft, the Raiders had yet to address their glaring need at the guard position. So, after trading down twice to acquire more picks - 5th rounder and two 7th rounders -- they addressed it with the first pick they made in the fourth round at pick 128 overall by getting...
Jon Feliciano, OG, Miami (FL)
Measurables
6-5, 317 pounds
Combine results:
40-yard-dash: 5.33
Bench press: 23 reps
Vertical jump: 26.5 inches
Broad jump: 97.0 inches
20-yards shuttle: 4.74
Stats
2014: 13 starts - 10 at LG (0 sacks, 3 hits, 4 hurries) 3 at tackle (1 sack, 3 hurries)
2013: 13 starts - 11 at LG, 2 at RT
2012: 12 starts at LG
2011: 8 starts, zero sacks
Awards
2014 ACC Honorable Mention
2013 ACC Honorable Mention
2012 ACC Honorable Mention
Summary
What stands out most about Feliciano is his versatility. Though he played most of his snaps at left guard for Miami, he has seen a good amount of time at every other offensive line position outside of center.
Miami moved him around as they needed and this formerly unrecruited offensive lineman quickly became a staple on the Hurricane offensive line. After sitting out a redshirt season, he started 8 games as a redshirt freshman. After that. He started every game at various positions over the following three seasons, mostly at left guard (39 starts).
According to numbers collected by College Football Focus, he played in a total of 819 snaps - 572 at left guard, 184 at right tackle, 63 at left tackle. His pass blocking grade as a guard was tied for 20th in 2015 class, and his run blocking grade was 47th out of 98. He was 18th among 80 guards in 2015 class in pass blocking efficiency.
Though he has the skills to play guard or tackle, his lack of overall athleticism and heavy feet are what make him best suited as a guard.
University of Miami blog, State of the U said of Felciano, "Felicano is a power blocker. He is best at run blocking. In fact I argued last year he was UM's best overall run blocker and that is a heck of compliment considering Miami also had 9th overall pick Ereck Flowers on its O-line."
As a person, he has an incredibly inspiring story which you can read about here. Trust me, it's worth a read. It's one of those stories worthy of its own movie in the same vein as The Blindside.
Raiders offensive line coach Mike Tice was taken by Felciano's story. The two of them struck up an instant connection as fellow New York natives. Tice said he was able to break down the barriers when he spoke with Feliciano at the combine and he saw he saw the real person behind it.
Oh, and he was given the name "Mongo" by his teammates at Miami. In case you're unfamiliar with who Mongo is, he is the iconic character in Blazing Saddles portrayed by former NFLer Alex Karras.
How he fits with the Raiders
The Raiders will be running a power blocking scheme this year which is what Feliciano is best suited for. He is described as having heavy feet but Tice has said he has the lateral agility necessary to be a solid run blocker and hold the line from the interior. Tice said he also expects the team's new coaching staff and strength and conditioning folks to be able to get more quickness from him.
He will immediately jump into a competition with Khalif Barnes for the starting right guard spot - a position Feliciano will be expected to win.
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