The Raiders had a very successful preseason showing against the 49ers, dominating on both sides of the ball. But one of the negatives was that starting left guard Dylan Parham left with an injury and did not return.
The good news is that he was replaced by veteran Netane Muti, who had arguably the best performance of his career. He was dominating in the run game, opening up holes for the backs all afternoon.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they wrote about a handful of backups that showed well in the first week of the preseason. That includes Muti, who graded out as the top guard in the NFL this week. Here is a snippet of what the site had to say about Muti against the 49ers:
Muti was especially effective as part of some double-team blocks that moved defensive linemen a couple of yards off the line of scrimmage.
He also made the key block on Sincere McCormick’s third-quarter touchdown run. Furthermore, the former Denver Bronco impressed in pass protection, as he did not allow a single pressure on 12 pass-blocking snaps.
Parham isn’t in danger of losing his job to Muti, but it is encouraging that the Raiders had a viable backup behind him. Muti is a devastating run blocker and has made strides as a pass protector over the last few years.
Muti isn’t a lock to make the 53-man roster, but after this performance, his odds of making the team are pretty good. Keep an eye on him again this week if Parham can’t go as Muti could open the game with the rest of the starting offense at left guard.
