Raiders Draft Kolton Miller, Twitter Questions Why Derwin James Wasn't Picked

Offensive tackle Kolton Miller was taken off the board by the Oakland Raiders with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round on Thursday. 

Reaction to the pick was a bit mixed, with many questioning why the Raiders passed on Derwin James:

Miller, who spent his first two seasons on the field at UCLA playing right tackle, locked down the left side in his junior year.

His height, strong testing numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine and effort level stand out as positives. His pad level and ability to lose the leverage battle are weaknesses he'll need to address if he wants a long career as an NFL starter.

"His tape tells you exactly who he is. He's big and he's got decent length but he's an average athlete and he will always be up and down depending on the guy across from him," an area AFC scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "I think he'll start but I don't see anything special. Some scouts like him a lot more than me so I don't know."

His combine performance probably erased any concerns about his athleticism, but that doesn't erase the main issues in his game.

As Zierlein noted, Miller "lacks the flexibility in his hips to drop his pad level and play with better leverage and a stronger base. His lateral movements in his pass slides are segmented and there are reps that he has to completely break from his technique to chase edge-rushers to the corner."

Without question, he'll need to clean up those areas of technique and probably add bulk at the next level as well. But his upside is also promising, especially if he works on his flaws.

Miller himself broke down what the Raiders would be getting from him for years to come.

"They're getting a guy who brings his lunchbox to work every day," he told Justin Melo of Draft Wire in February. "I want to do things the right way. I'm someone who will always put his best foot forward. I'll do everything I can to get better each week."