Arkansas offensive lineman Dalton Wagner signs deal following 2023 NFL Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders are banking on former Arkansas right tackle Dalton Wagner to bolster their offensive line for the next few years. Although Wagner wasn’t selected in the draft, Las Vegas quickly signed him as an undrafted free agent on Saturday, his agent tweeted.

He finished his career with the Hogs as one of the best offensive linemen on their roster, earning first team All-SEC honors from Pro Football Focus in 2022. Wagner also finished 2022 as the fourth-highest graded offensive lineman in the SEC (80.5), per Pro Football Focus.

He helped pave the way for one of the most prolific offenses in Arkansas football history during the 2022 campaign. The Razorbacks gained 6,128 total offensive yards, becoming just the third offense in school history to rack up more than 6,000 total yards. The Hogs’ ground attack was near unstoppable, rushing for over 200 yards in nine games during their 2022 campaign. Wagner allowed just two sacks his senior year, both of them coming against Alabama. For his entire Arkansas career, he allowed just 12 sacks during 1,391 passing plays.

In 2021 as a redshirt junior, the gifted right tackle anchored the Hogs’ offensive line yet again, and they averaged 227.8 rushing yards per game (leading all Power Five schools). Wagner cleared the path for four Razorback players to rush for at least 500 yards, something that hadn’t been accomplished at Arkansas since 1975. The Hogs’ offensive line also blocked for three games of 300 rushing yards or more against Texas, Ole Miss, and Penn State. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 560 snaps at right tackle and one snap at right guard.

In 2020, Wagner played 413 snaps at right tackle, also playing 13 snaps on special teams, according to Pro Football Focus. He earned a season-high 77.5 pass blocking grade in the season opener against Georgia. In 2019, he logged the second-most snaps of any of the Hogs’ offensive players (751). As a redshirt freshman in 2018, he logged 205 snaps and played in 11 of 12 games.

As a high school recruit, Wagner flew under the radar nationally in the 2017 cycle. He played for Richmond-Burton High School, located in Richmond, Illinois. The 6-foot-9, 331-pounder was ranked as the No. 646 overall player in America and a three-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. When he chose Arkansas, he picked them over offers from Louisville, Utah, California, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Illinois, and others.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Dalton Wagner

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein recently broke down Wagner’s skill set in his scouting profile on the NFL website. Some of the best traits that Zierlein likes about him are his size and length for the tackle position. And Zierlein even noted that while his run blocking is weak, pass protection is very valuable in the National Football League, which will give him a chance to make a roster. Check out his breakdown below.

“Wagner has rare size and length at the tackle position, with much better play strength than we typically see from tackles of his height. He uses his long arms to punch with independent hands, using well-timed strikes to keep rushers out of rhythm. A lack of foot agility leaves him susceptible to inside moves and counters both as a pass protector and run blocker. His overall ability in pass pro plays to his favor, but the run blocking is subpar. Wagner is a right tackle-only prospect but pass protection is very valuable in the league, which gives him a chance to make a roster,” Zierlein noted.