By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: As a teenager in Austria, Raimann fell in love with football. He became an exchange student to the US and played high school football in Michigan before going to Central Michigan. Raimann started out his collegiate career at tight end before growing into being a left tackle. Raimann became the Chippewas’ starting left tackle in 2020, but COVID-19 shortened their season to only six games. He started there again in 2021, so he will enter the NFL with 1.5 years of experience at left tackle.
Raimann needs a lot of development in pass protection, which was evident at the Senior Bowl, where he struggled with speed rushers. Raimann’s feet can get stuck in the ground, forcing him to lunge after rushers. That lack of movement leaves him in poor position to defend against speed rushers around the corner. In Mobile, being cognizant of his problems with speed around the corner left him susceptible to bull rushes because he let his hands get too wide, and that allowed defenders to get into his chest and push him back in the pocket. IRaimann must improve his hand placement because wrapping around defenders could lead to a lot of holding calls in the NFL. He also needs to continue to work on his feet and bending to not lunge after defenders while being ready for inside moves. Lack of length – his arms are a short 33 inches – is another problem Raimann faces for dealing with pass rushers at the next level. He is going to need a lot of work on defending speed rushers, and that issue could make him a better fit at right tackle as a pro.
Raimann has some stiffness and lumbers in space. His rawness can be seen in a lack of awareness and playing too high. Thus, Raimann is a developmental project, but he has upside. He should be a much better player after a few more years of coaching.
Entering the next level, Raimann is a plus run blocker. He isn’t a finesse tap-dancing left tackle who is weak in the ground game. Raimann doesn’t possess overwhelming power, but he does a very good job of latching onto defenders and turning them to open up holes and can create some movement. Raimann has the strength to sustain his blocks, and he can ride some defenders around the field. Once Raimann locks on, defenders have a very difficult time shedding him.
Sources from five NFL teams told WalterFootball.com they had Raimann graded on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft. None of them gave him a first-round grade. There is, however, a lot of media hype and projections of him being a first-round pick, so perhaps a team will take him on the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Player Comparison: Kaleb McGary. Raimann reminds me of McGary coming out of Washington. McGary has struggled with speed rushers in the NFL, and Raimann could have similar issues. While McGary was taken as a late first-rounder, the majority of teams had him graded on Day 2. Raimann also has second-day grades for the 2022 NFL Draft, although he also has some first-round projections.
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2022 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
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