The NFL’s best guards, No. 7: Kelechi Osemele, Raiders
Oakland paid Osemele like a tackle (five years and $60 million), but he likely will slot in as a starting guard on the left side, flanked by tackle Donald Penn and consistently underrated center Rodney Hudson. The Raiders did not seem to mind overpaying a bit for Osemele as an interior lineman because another team might have swooped in on him as a tackle after he finished last season playing outside for Baltimore. He also played tackle as a rookie in 2012, but it was when the Ravens slid him inside (with Bryant McKinnie at LT and Michael Oher moving to RT) just ahead of their Super Bowl run that he and the offensive line really settled in. Osemele is a bully in the run game, hence his success lining up closer to the ball. The Raiders figure to give him every chance to take advantage of his massive size (6' 5", 333 lbs.) and power to drive opponents back along the interior.
