Las Vegas Raiders select Ohio State offensive lineman Thayer Munford in 2022 NFL Draft

After four years at Ohio State, former Buckeyes offensive lineman Thayer Munford has been selected by the Las Vegas in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Raiders selected Munford with the No. 238 overall pick in the seventh round.

Munford has extensive experience at Ohio State over the past four seasons, and he has played both tackle and guard. This past season, he bumped inside to play offensive guard for the Buckeyes.

In 2018, Munford was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection. He was then named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2019 and First Team All-Big Ten in 2020 and 2021. Now, he departs Ohio State and heads to the NFL, where he will try to make an immediate impact.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Thayer Munford

Ahead of the draft, NFL analyst Lance Zierlein broke down Munford’s status in this year’s class. Zierlein sees Munford as more of an offensive tackle than a guard, but also believes that he is capable of playing both at the next level. He gave Munford a pro comparison of Jeff Otah, a previous first round pick who spent three years with the Panthers.

“Munford managed his bump inside to guard in 2021, but a move back to tackle is in his best interest,” Zierlein said. “He is a limited athlete and scheme-dependent in the run game. Coaches will fret over his lack of body control and footwork but he has some upper-body pop to work with if a coach can get his hand placement corrected. On his 2020 tape, he is usually first in with his hands and has the ability to derail the rush when he closes the distance properly.

“His heavy feet prevent fluid change of direction or sustained mirroring so matchup-based struggles are likely. He’s a below-average run blocker who can look unorthodox in pass protection, but he’s long and understands how to use his length to make blocks. He’ll eventually be a starting tackle with guard flexibility.”