There’s a growing belief around the Raiders that Trey Zuhn may not have to wait long to get on the field.
The buzz picked up again Thursday when flagship radio host JT the Brick said on Raider Nation Radio that people around the team are talking about the third-round pick as a possible starter.
“Zuhn, there’s a lot of people whispering, whispering in hushed tones, that Trey Zuhn could start,” JT said on his Raider Nation Radio show.
“Someone told me that today, but not confident enough to get on the radio with it. They said, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he started this year.”
I said, ‘Oh boy, that’d be interesting. He’s that good, huh?
He’s that good?’ ‘Yeah.’
So we’ll see.”
That kind of chatter has been building since April, when the Raiders drafted Zuhn, and it only adds to the sense that Las Vegas sees something special in him.
The draft itself also points in that direction. A video released by the Carolina Panthers showed the Raiders calling in the third round and trying to move from pick 91 to pick 83. Carolina passed on the offer - Kansas City was also trying to trade up to that spot - and took Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II.
Las Vegas stayed put at 91, but the question remains: who were they chasing?
Shortly after the draft, it was reported that the Raiders’ decision-makers liked Indiana running back Kaelon Black, who went to the 49ers one pick before Las Vegas was on the clock. Still, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter later made it sound like Zuhn was the target all along.
“I told you that they liked Trey Zuhn,” Capenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast in June.
“[He was] the number one offensive linemen in the SEC, and one of the top offensive linemen in America. The Raiders craved him.
Multiple teams craved him… and when he dropped, it was like Christmas. Let’s just say that in my opinion, the Raiders were considering even moving up to get him.
Let’s just say that in Hondo’s opinion. The Raiders were even considering moving up to get them.
Let’s leave it there… They don’t like Trey Zuhn. They love him.”
Whether or not John Spytek was actually trying to trade up for him, the bigger takeaway is clear: the Raiders are very high on Zuhn. He was worth a Day 2 pick to them, and the support behind him inside the building suggests this isn’t just a developmental flyer.
He may not be locked in as a September starter yet, but the momentum around him says that door is open.
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