Silver Minings: Jason Kelce praises Dylan Parham

Now that the NFL Draft is over, opinions about every team’s picks are about to start coming from every direction. Some people’s words will carry more weight than others and the Philadelphia Eagles’ All-Pro center Jason Kelce weighed in on the Raiders’ top pick, Dylan Parham, offensive lineman from Memphis.

“I like him a lot,” Kelce said on Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft show. “He’s got the versatility. He’s played a bunch of different positions, everything from even tackle, but obviously, at the next level it’s going to be guard or center, and in particular probably more of a center.”

“Moves really well, great athlete. You see him out on the run, you see him come downhill. I watched him a little bit at the Senior Bowl when they moved him to center to see what he can do, and he reminds me, in the way that his hips and the way he sinks and the way he uses his leverage, kind of in similar role like a Brian Allen for LA.”

“I think he’s a good player, I think he’s going to be a really good center at some point.”

So, count Kelce in as someone who thinks Parham can man the middle, which is one of the two spots he didn't get experience playing in college, left tackle being the other. However, as Kelce mentioned, Parham did take some reps at center down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl.

The Allen comparison is an interesting one. Last year was the Super Bowl champion’s first full season as a starter, where stood out as a run blocker but struggled in pass protection, earning a 79.7 PFF grade in the ground game while allowing 25 pressures and five sacks. Hopefully, the Memphis product can be more stout as a pass protector but the Raiders will take that kind of production from him as a run blocker.

In other Raiders’ links:

• UDFA tracker: find out who’s joining Silver and Black beyond the draft.
• Picks tracker: every pick the Raiders made in this year’s draft class all in one spot.
• TDL instant reaction: get your favorite Raiders analyst’s thoughts on the team’s newcomers and the draft as a whole on the recap podcast.
• Vegas gets a B+ on draft: Pro Football Focus has already started handing out draft grades and gave the Silver and Black a decent grade.