In the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders addressed their offensive line by selecting Delmar ‘DJ’ Glaze out of Maryland. Glaze is an interesting prospect because while he has a strong track record in pass protection at offensive tackle, his traits suggest he’d be better suited as a guard at the next level.
For example, the former Terripan earned pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus in the mid-80s and only gave up 32 pressures on over 1,000 opportunities over the last two seasons. However, he lacks some foot speed/quickness which can lead to short corners around the edge.
Also, Glaze shows some promise on double teams, down blocks and as a puller in the running game, as the clips below highlight.
Maryland runs counter here which puts Glaze and the left guard on a double team against Illinois’ 4i-technique defensive end lined up in the B-gap.
While his pad level isn’t perfect at the point of contact, Glaze has decent knee bend to help maintain a powerful base. He also does a solid job of using his hands and upper body strength to get a leverage advantage on the defender which, combined with some assistance from the guard, allows him to stand up the defender.
Glaze then keeps his feet moving through contact and uncoils his hips to get several yards of vertical displacement on the end to the point where the end is pushed to the second level of the defense. That makes it easier for the offensive linemen to pick up the backside linebacker and spring the running back for a few more yards.
