Raiders G Dylan Parham's Entire Mini Camp Comments

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders held a mandatory mini-camp today, and guard Dylan Parham spoke after practice.

The Raiders' emerging star had a highly successful rookie campaign in 2022 and looks to take the next step in 2023.

We have all of his comments that you can watch, and read the transcript below:

Guard Dylan Parham

Q: You had a solid rookie season. What did you work on over the offseason to take an even a bigger step forward?

Parham: "For myself, the first thing I really want to work on was my hand placement and my eye progression. The game is already fast as is, and so my first year I just felt like I was trying to learn the offense and now it's just like, OK, now I understand offense, it's time to be able to look at defenses and understand what it is that they're trying to do. And so, for myself, eye placement, hands, feet progressions, just have my feet in sequence. A lot of times I felt like I was off playing with what it was I was trying to do, so just working on slowing everything down so that I can be efficient in what I'm trying to do."

Q: During the season we would talk to you about recognition you were getting for your play. You almost downplayed it. Are you able to look back at year one and appreciate it, or is it something you're not going to look at until after you retire? Parham: "I definitely appreciate it. Obviously, just having an opportunity to get as many reps as possible in my first year. That's the best thing you can do in the NFL I feel like and just having the repetition. It's easy to be able to go out there and practice it and then visualize it in film, but you're not going to really understand until you actually have that guy pressing against you in pass protection and the run blocking game. And so, for me, I'll be forever thankful for that first year."

Q: Having a full year under your belt, how did you change just kind of how you approach the offseason conditioning program?

Parham: "My mindset I think is the No. 1 thing that's changed for me. Just understanding just simple things like where I need to be, how I need to be on time, film study, having the understanding of: OK, this is what I need to do to be able to prepare for this.' Or even now just understand like we're going against some defense at this point, understand what it is that they're doing, what they're trying to bring in practice. It's those little things that I'm trying to work on and continue to work on."

Q: I know last year you were kind of moving around a lot. How has it helped you been able to kind of lock in on that that guard spot and get more comfortable there? Parham: "I will say, especially here, I won't say lock in, but I know there's a lot of different times where we will need any position. And so that's the thing I've been trying to be pretty good at is just being flexible. So, just comfortability is important, but at the same time it's the flexibility that's really helped me out my first year, not knowing where I was going to be able to get the opportunity at. So, just being able to get at center whenever because you never know what's going to happen."

Q: What's the biggest learning curve at center for you? What's the thing you have to really master at that spot at center?

Parham: "I would say for center it's eyes. You're right in the middle of the offense and then you've got to see everything from the center to the SAM to the off the ball linebacker that's way out there. And so, for center, it's just eye progression because it's easy to be able to be at left guard and then you'll be able to see something outside, especially when you're in a two-point stance. When you're always the center it's hard to be able to see the outside guy or that extra safety that you may not be able to recognize. So, I would say definitely eyes and then even in different cadences, having the cadence, having to read the defense and then be able to make the calls, that's very difficult. And I definitely try to help the center out whenever I can in the past just because of that."

Q: A couple of young running backs are getting reps now with Josh [Jacobs] being out. You were a rookie with them last year in Brittain [Brown] and Zamir [White]. What do you see in those guys now and also working with them last year?

Parham: "Just Brittian, Sincere [McCormick] and Zeus [Zamir White], all those guys, I think they're definitely taking those opportunities to be able to get those reps. And I think they're trying to hone in on that. They're working hard, obviously. A lot of good young guys. I feel like they're taking those moments and opportunities and they're doing really well with them."

Q: Obviously, a lot of the same guys are in the offensive line room when you came back. Not a whole lot of additions were made. How much confidence does that give you that the coaching staff has in you guys?

Parham: "It feels great to be honest. Just knowing that they feel like they have the right guys in the room, and then added some additions. Obviously, the competition in the room is going to be there because they brought a lot of the same guys in. First, I'm just thankful for the opportunity to be able to be in this position and then on top of that, it feels good to be able to have a lot of guys that you communicated with last year and then just have another year on top of that. So, obviously we're going to grow, we're going to know each other a little bit better than last year. And then with those new guys, it's going to be rotations throughout camp obviously, and so just being able to communicate with everybody is going to be good."

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