Raiders 2025: How drafting Charles Grant affects Kolton Miller’s long-term future

Third-round pick was a stalwart left tackle at William & Mary and a viable option if Las Vegas can’t extend veteran

With elite punter AJ Cole III landing a contract extension, the natural question became: When are the Las Vegas Raiders going to lock up left tackle Kolton Miller long term?

The Silver & Black’s stalwart left tackle rebounded nicely in 2024 starting in all 17 game for Las Vegas and notching 1,075 snaps (96 percent of the Raiders offensive total). This after the 29-year-old was limited to a career-low 13 games in 2023 — a year where a shoulder injury shelved him to just 11 starts.

Since being drafted by the Raiders with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — a selection that was met with ridicule at the time — Miller blossomed into a reliable blindside protector that brings both prototypical size — 6-foot-8 and 325 pounds — and movement skills to the left tackle position.

The Roseville, Calif. native heads into the 2025 campaign — the inaugural season with Pete Carroll and John Spytek as the Raiders head coach and general manger, respectively — on the final leg of a three-year, $54 million extension inked back in 2021. Reports surfaced that Miller was unhappy with the lame duck scenario of his current deal and he was absent from voluntary work outs. He’s since showed up to mandatory offseason activities, though. But, Spytek shut down any further queries on Miller’s long-term standing with the team during the left tackle’s absence.

“I’m just gonna give you our answer and it’s gonna be this going forward. We’re not gonna discuss contracts publicly and this is certainly a voluntary part of the offseason program,” Spytek noted. “Guys are free to come and go as they please.”

Miller is slated to earn slightly over $15.68 million this season and then hits unrestricted free agency next offseason — sans a new contract in Las Vegas. None of that is guaranteed — he played last season without any guaranteed coin either, though.

Thus, there’s two scenarios as the Raiders are at a proverbial fork in the road with their left tackle:

• Ink Miller to a contract extension.
• Let Miller walk in unrestricted free agency.

Which brings us to this question: How does drafting Charles Grant affect Miller’s long-term future?

Taken for Grant-ed

Plucked from the 2025 NFL Draft class with the 99th pick in the third round, Grant was a small school standout at William & Mary.

Grant played in 36 career games for the Tribe (2,292 snaps) and was charted with: Three sacks allowed, three quarterback hits allowed, and 22 pressures allowed. Two of the career sacks he yielded at William & Mary came in 2024 (where he logged 767 snaps in 12 games).

Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds at the NFL Combine, Grant arrives to the NFL with an engulfing 34 ³⁄₄ inch arms and an 84 inch wing span which is seven feet. His background in wrestling along with his quick feet give him a similar skillset to Miller, albeit at three inches shorter in terms of height.

As our Matt Holder and I highlighted, Grant is a high ceiling small school product who has the makings of a starter down the road, but will need development time. And learning behind Miller is a great spot for the third-round pick.

Grant’s collegiate career saw him on the blindside, which will initially limit his versatility. But it provides the Raiders a young prospect who has cut his teeth and grew into a stout left tackle. Adding Grant bolsters Las Vegas depth at the tackle position — one that will likely Thayer Munford Jr (heading into his fourth year with the team as a seventh-round pick in 2022) compete at both left and right tackle spots.

Miller Time

The best-case scenario for Grant is sitting under the learning tree as Miller continues to be the steady blindside protector in Chip Kelly’s offense and keeping new quarterback Geno Smith upright.

Miller, who received valuable insights from veteran Richie Incognito as he developed, can return the favor and provide the mentor role to Grant as he develops and acclimates to the pro game. Where the veteran left tackle can help Grant the most is in the weight room. Like the rookie, Miller arrived to the league needing to add mass to his frame and Year 1 to Year 2 and onward, Miller bulked up. And the added weight didn’t scuttle Miller’s ability to move and maintain his footwork.

That’s one of Grant’s areas of opportunity as added bulk will help the rookie be able to anchor and drive against much more stout NFL competition.

And watching up close how Miller operates at the all-important left tackle spot should prove invaluable to Grant. While the William & Mary product arrives to Las Vegas with a bag of tricks to deter and deflect defenders, getting to see the veteran starter work can add even more counters to Grant’s arsenal.

With Grant only 23, there’s plenty of development to do and Miller turning 30 on September 2, another three-year pact (or even two-year extension) can be a route the Raiders go. This keeps Miller in the fold while also providing Grant an excellent mentor to grow under.

It’s Too Early

The front five are learning under new offensive line bosses Brennan Carroll (offensive line coach and run game coordinator) and Andy Dickerson (assistant offensive line coach) they have two veterans to lean on, too. That’s senior offensive assistant Joe Philbin (who has a lengthy career as offensive line boss) and offensive coordinator Kelly.

While the Raiders coaching staff did plenty of install and evaluations during the team’s OTA’s the past few weeks, it’s still too early to truly get a feel for the offensive line group. This is largely due to no pads and rigorous physical contact.

“It’s the most difficult because there are no pads and it’s how are they picking up schemes, how are they working together. Are they making the right calls, are they identifying the defense in the proper manner so that we’re on the right people? But it’s almost like you’re looking at their first two steps, and then after that, they’re pulling out of it,” Kelly noted after one of the Raiders OTA sessions. “And the D-line’s, pulling out of it too. There’s times where Maxx (Crosby) will take two and then take a step and then just stop, because we’re not in full pads, and you have to learn to practice in this format, because you’re going to have to practice this way during the season also.

“You’re not going to be in pads every day during the season. So, I think they’re doing a good job from that standpoint, but you still can’t get a full evaluation of them until you get a chance to see them in practice opportunities; whether it’s against other teams, or in preseason games or when we get the opportunity in the offseason. This off season, we can’t, but when we get back in late July and August, you’ll be able to put pads on, and then we’ll be able to see a little bit more on those guys.”