Oakland Raiders: Donald Penn goes down, Brandon Parker next up

The Oakland Raiders placed right tackle Donald Penn on injured reserve, and now rookie third-rounder Brandon Parker must learn on the job.

The Oakland Raiders placed Donald Penn on injured reserve with a groin injury Wednesday. As a result, he’ll miss at least eight weeks, and the revolving door at right tackle continues for this team.

Next up, it’s rookie third-rounder Brandon Parker, who started every game at left tackle between the 2015-17 seasons for North Carolina A&T. He earned MEAC honors in all three terms. While Parker deserves praise for his accomplishments on the collegiate level, he’s on a short learning curve in the pros.

For starters, the rookie must learn on the fly, transitioning from left to right, like Penn did during the preseason. If it’s not an easy shift for a 12th-year player, a first-year talent will probably go through some rough patches as well.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Parker took 79 snaps at left tackle during the preseason and filled in for 57 plays on the right side Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Penn’s injury didn’t stop him from coaching the rookie, who’s set to follow the same path across the offensive line, per NBCS Bay Area reporter Scott Bair:

"As I’ve been taking more reps on the right, he has been watching me closely and working on my sets. He has been a great resource, and certainly was (against Cleveland). He was on the sideline giving me scouting reports and pointers whenever I came off the field. He was with me the whole time."

The North Carolina A&T product dealt with an ankle ailment dating back to training camp, but he’s primed for a full workload Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The 22-year old flashed his toughness during summer practices when involved in a scuffle with defensive end Fadol Brown.

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According to San Jose Mercury News reporter Matt Schneidman, head coach Jon Gruden didn’t approve of fighting on the practice field, but Parker scored some points with teammate and fellow offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, per Bair:

"“Brandon stood up for himself. That was really cool to see. You always want to see that, you worry about a guy’s toughness. He’s a tough kid. He’s been playing well. He’s really intelligent. Really smart.”"

Based on the little we know about Parker, it’s safe to say he’s an astute player and won’t allow anyone to push him around. It remains to be seen if that translates into well-timed blocks and a stone wall on quarterback Derek Carr‘s strong side right away. Clearly, the Raiders believe in him hence why he’s the No. 65 overall pick in April’s draft.

There’s a bit of caution, though. Penn revealed the team planned to sit Parker for a year before tossing him into action, according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. As we all know, regardless of the offseason plans in place, players have to be ready to take the field at any time because of injuries.

With Parker’s minimal experience at right tackle and the idea of him playing before the team planned to do so, expect to see tight end Lee Smith supplement in pass-blocking situations on the rookie’s side of the line.

The Chargers won’t have defensive end Joey Bosa (foot) on the field, but Melvin Ingram can rush off of either side of the defensive line. Rookie safety Derwin James leads the team with three sacks as an effective blitzer on both ends. The Raiders must defend against power and speed on the right side to give Carr enough time to dissect Los Angeles’ 21st-ranked pass defense.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.