Las Vegas Raiders reveal jersey number for former Ohio State OL Thayer Munford
Former Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Thayer Munford will be wearing No. 77 for the Las Vegas Raiders, the team announced on Thursday. In the Grey and Scarlet, the tackle wore No. 75.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected Munford with the No. 238 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was the last of six former Buckeyes to come off the draft board this year.
Munford gained extensive experience at Ohio State over the past four seasons. The 6-foot-6, 328-pound lineman made 45 starts during his time in Columbus. He played both tackle and guard, giving the Raiders some positional versatility. This past season, he moved inside to play offensive guard for the Buckeyes.
Following his selection in the draft, Munford tweeted, “LETS GOOO!!! Proud to be a Raider.”
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. He served as a team captain for the Buckeyes as a senior as well.
A native of Massillon, Ohio, Munford was a four-star recruit and the No. 9 prospect in the state, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Munford provides Raiders with versatility
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 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.”