I’ll never forget being in the Raiders’ media room back in Alameda in 2018 when they took defensive tackle P.J. Hall in the second round and traded up to take right tackle Brandon Parker with the first pick of the third round in the first year of Jon Gruden’s return to the team.
Both players were considered big reaches. Neither player’s Raiders’ production did anything to dispel that notion. When they spoke to the media that night, both Hall and Parker said they were surprised to be drafted so high. Both players figured they’d go in the fifth round or so.