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DJ Glaze looking to provide versatility, reliability to the Raiders offensive line

Adversity isn't something that's going to limit DJ Glaze.

The Raiders' third-round pick has battled through his fair share of obstacles leading up to this life-altering draft day moment.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native suffered two ACL tears in the same knee in high school. While things looked not ideal for the tackle entering college, the experience battle-tested for what was to come on his road to the NFL.

"I was pretty much willing to do anything to get to this point here," Glaze told local media Friday night. "This is only the beginning. The person I am, I wasn't going to let two ACL injuries stop me from reaching my goals.

"It was a time where you're away from football, you have to work extremely hard, rehab it, make sure it's back healthy again. But it was a time where I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting to my goal."

Glaze came back better than ever with relatively no injury issues at Maryland. He proved to be one of the Terrapins' most reliable and versatile players, playing 39 straight games his last three seasons. He also received an 80+ pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus in each of those seasons.

Glaze's showing at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, was the icing on the cake for the Raiders to commit to him with the 77th overall pick.

"If you're in the Senior Bowl, they're all pro prospects," Raiders GM Tom Telesco said following Day 2. "They're all going to play in the league. So, if you do well there like DJ did, yeah it certainly helps him. But his college tape was really good too, so it's really more of a confirmation of what we think he can do at this level.

"Big frame, long arms, really productive college player," Telesco added of Glaze's physical traits. "I mean, he'd just block the guy in front of him very consistently. To keep it real general, guy over him, run game, pass game, blocked his man. Balanced body control and strength, and again, we think there's a lot of future upside with him too."

Telesco alluded to versatility being a huge factor behind the selection, as Glaze recorded over 1,000 snaps at each tackle position in college. It's also what makes Glaze believe he'll be a valuable addition to the Silver and Black, with hopes of earning a role on the roster.

"I don't really have a specific position. I feel like, for me, the main thing is being able to be comfortable anywhere," said Glaze. "[B]eing able to come in and just being able to play guard, being able to play tackle and be comfortable at it, that's the biggest thing for me. I'm comfortable anywhere they plug me."

With the 77th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have selected tackle DJ Glaze.

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