Jon Gruden scrutinizing Raiders' offensive line

INDIANAPOLIS - Jon Gruden is clearly displeased with one position on the Raiders' offensive line more than the others.

It was the weakest spot on a unit that underachieved in 2017, at least compared to the atmospheric standards set because of a standout 2016 and because Oakland's line was the highest-paid such offensive front in league history.

“We had some inconsistency at right tackle, obviously,” Gruden said at the NFL Combine. “Newhouse, he had some moments where he played well. He had some moments where he obviously struggled.”

Gruden has assuredly watched every second of tape from training camp, preseason and the regular season last year, but he saw one Raiders game in person. That Monday night in Philadelphia, Marshall Newhouse allowed a sack and six quarterback pressures against the eventual Super Bowl Champions while Gruden commentated a 19-10 Oakland loss from the booth. Hardly the impression you want to give to your future head coach.

Gruden is more than satisfied with the interior of Oakland's offensive line, and Donald Penn insists he'll come back stronger at left tackle after undergoing surgery late in the season for a foot injury. (We'll see if that actually happens. Also, Penn played for Gruden in Tampa Bay for two seasons). Newhouse becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season, so here's a potential scenario: Raiders spend an early-round pick on an offensive tackle, have Newhouse mentor him until/if Newhouse falters more than Gruden can sustain in 2018 and have the rookie take over sometime next season or assume the full-time starter's role in 2019 after Newhouse hits the open market.

Who might some of those candidates be? For one, Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown, who was projected as a top-two tackle in the draft, may plummet down draft boards because of his underwhelming combine performance.

The Raiders might be getting a steal if he's available at No. 41. UCLA offensive tackle Kolton Miller impressed at the combine and might be available for picking early in the second round, as well.

We know what Gruden thinks about Newhouse - we'll see if that causes a change on the Raiders' offensive line at some point next season - and here's what he said about the rest of the group.

“Donald Penn got hurt late in the season. He had a contract holdout - I don't think that helped matters. Missed some time in camp, that's never a good thing. But we're strong inside,” Gruden said. “We're very stout in there. Love the two guards. And I think the center plays with as much individual effort as any guy in the league. I love watching (Rodney) Hudson play. He's a great communicator. He'll be the anchor. He'll be key for us in the pivot.”

The return of the fullback

Jamize Olawale, while injured at times last season, was sparsely used on offense. His biggest play of the year, a 60-yard kick return against the Bills that came back because of a penalty, resulted in a tweaked hamstring for the fullback. That sequence was a microcosm of his year.

We'll let Gruden's affinity for fullbacks stand on its own here:

“I like Jamize. He didn't play much last year, he had some injuries,” Gruden said. “I think that hurt the offense as well. He gives the offense some deception because he can run. I mean, he's a fullback with speed. He was injured. It impacted us and special teams and it certainly impacted the offense. But I would like to have a fullback. They're a dying breed in football, but I think it does give your running a lot of deception. And if Marshawn Lynch is the feature back, I think it'd be nice if we serviced him with a fullback. He had a guy named (Michael) Robinson who's with the NFL Network, who was a hell of a fullback. You need a blocking tight end if you're going to slam the ball with a beast. So, those are two things that I'm looking for.”

Official draft order

The Raiders own 11 picks in next month's draft, trailing only the Browns and Packers (12) for most selections.

Oakland kicks off its draft with the No. 10 overall selection after losing Friday's coin toss against the 49ers for the ninth pick. The Raiders have one pick in rounds two, three, four and seven, with no picks in round five and six in the sixth.