Latest rumor has UCLA OT Kolton Miller as potential ‘top target’ for Raiders

It’s silly season. Just the other day, within minutes of each other, I saw reports that the Giants were looking at Saquon Barkley at second overall and then that Barkley could be in for a tumble out of the top five. There are smokescreens aplenty right now, designed to make you question every rumor out there.

The latest rumor comes from Jason La Canfora over at CBS Sports. He ponders whether the Raiders might trade down — as I did recently — but who he says to watch out for isn’t who you might expect.

If the Raiders do in fact trade down from the 10th overall pick -- with someone like New England or Arizona or whoever coming up for a quarterback -- look out for UCLA tackle Kolton Miller to be a top target for them. Problem is, they might not be able to move back far at all and still get him. I continue to hear from evaluators and offensive line coaches I most trust that Miller, and not Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey, is the best tackle in the draft. Miller has the potential to be an elite left tackle with tremendous feet on a 6-foot-9 frame. There is too much potential to ignore. Plenty of teams in the teens have their eye on him. McGlinchey, from what I gather, is much more likely to go in the late-teens to early-20s. Not sure Miller makes it past Detroit, where he could start on the right side if need be, where he played at UCLA before moving over.

That’s interesting because it’s the first I’ve seen anyone suggest Kolton Miller as a better prospect than McGlinchey. This includes Mike Mayock who today said McGlinchey is “clearly the number one tackle in the Draft.”

Miller has been kind of all over the place on boards. I’ve seen him as the second tackle off the board in the lower part of the first round. I’ve also seen him falling as far as the third round. I had Miller on Raiders draft radar, but as a third rounder.

At least in both instances, the selection would be contingent upon a trade down. That part certainly makes sense. LaCanfora even has two of the same potential scenarios I have for a trade down.