Raiders News: Getting to know the rooks: 5 interesting facts about Raiders Round 3 T DJ Glaze

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On day two of the draft, the Raiders looked to shore up the right side of their offensive line. After taking Jackson Powers-Johnson with the intention of lining him up at guard, they selected Maryland’s DJ Glaze at 77 to add depth and competition at right tackle.

• Trenches player since a young age

Delmar “DJ” Glaze has been playing football since he was four years old. He started organized football in second grade. Most kids play several different positions or move around until they find the right spot. But Glaze says since the beginning, he’s been a lineman. Mostly he played along the offensive line, but he also played along the Dline when he was a kid.

• Serious injury adversity

By his senior season in high school. Glaze had played a total of five games of high school ball. That’s because five games as a freshman year, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee that had him out his entire sophomore year as well as he rehabbed from surgery. He attempted to return for his junior season, but tore the same ACL again in the season opener, requiring a second surgery. “I wasn’t going to let that stop me from getting to my goals though,” said Glaze. “I just kept going, kept rehabbing it, kept making it stronger and that was just an obstacle that was in the way at the time.” He finally managed to stay healthy as a senior, starting at left tackle and leading West Mecklenburg to the 4A state playoffs in 2019.a

• Maryland was the only Power 5 school that recruited him

Due to the injuries, he was very lightly recruited through his junior season. It wasn’t until he attended a football camp midway through his senior season, that the scholarship offers started to really come in. Some of the schools who gave the 6-4, 290-pounder offers included UMass, Florida International, Appalachian State, East Tennessee, Jacksonville State, and UConn. But Maryland was the clincher as it was the first school from a Power 5 conference (Big Ten) to offer him a scholarship and a few weeks later, he committed.

• Inspired by his little brother

DJ has a younger brother who is eight years old. He says it’s his little brother that inspires him. That he wants to show him that all this is possible.

• Touts his versatility above all else

Glaze started 17 games at right tackle and 15 games at left tackle at Maryland. When discussing what he brings to the table, he always defers to his versatility as his best attribute, including the ability to play guard if asked. I asked Raider GM Tom Telesco about where he sees Glaze fitting in, he said right tackle right now, but with a possible eye on guard down the road. I would assume that would be only if tackle didn’t work out for him, but injuries at other positions can often jumpstart moves like that as well. Email Sign up Like this article? Sign up for the Raiders Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning An error has occured Please re-enter your email address. Thanks for signing up! You'll now receive the top Raiders Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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