The Oakland Raiders invested their seventh-round pick in guard Vadal Alexander out of LSU in the 2016 NFL Draft. The rookie mauler is obviously happy to be in the NFL, but he didn't expect to have to wait until Day Three to hear his name called, and he also didn't see the Raiders as a potential landing spot.
From Oakland's point of view, nabbing Alexander in the seventh round may have been the biggest steal of the entire weekend. On some draft boards, Alexander was ranked as the No. 2-rated guard. The Raiders got him with the No. 234 pick. After the draft, Alexander revealed that he barely spoke to the Raiders beforehand.
"Yeah, I'm surprised I last this long," Alexander said after the draft. "It's something I wasn't expecting but God has a plan. Everything happens for a reason in my mind, but I absolutely am surprised I last this long."
So was Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie.
"Yeah, because big guys, they usually get taken," he said. "We felt really good about that and we like big people."
And Alexander is certainly big. He stands 6-foot-6 and 329 pounds and will be joining one of the most talented offensive lines on paper in Oakland. The Raiders' starting five up front average 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds with LT Donald Penn, LG Kelechi Osemele, center Rodney Hudson, RG Gabe Jackson and RT Austin Howard.
Alexander projects to be a swing lineman in the early going thanks to his versatility. At LSU, he made 25 career starts at left guard and 21 at right tackle.
"He's going to work both," McKenzie said of his seventh-round pick. "The versatility is what we liked about him."
In college, Alexander played 3,033 snaps and accrued an impressive 315 knockdown blocks.
"No doubt about it," Alexander said when asked about playing both positions. "It's something I'm definitely willing to do. Just work my butt off (and do) whatever the coach, coaching staff wants me to do.
"Whatever the coach wants me to play at or perform at, I'm more than happy to oblige."
