The Raiders have found their next star...

Sunday, about an hour before kickoff in New Jersey, the Raiders' starting offensive line ran out for warm-ups. And standing at right guard was a rookie some Raiders fans wouldn't have even been able to pick out of the lineup. Trey Zune III, and he is the third player to start at right guard for the Raiders this season. A third-round pick that spent most of October either hurt or watching is getting his first NFL start. In the middle of a four-game losing streak. And by the end of the game, his starting quarterback said something about him that every offensive lineman would love to hear. And on Monday, head coach Clint Kubiak was asked a question about the job that he is doing, and his answer was four simple words. So did the Raiders just find a hidden gem at right guard? One that they've been looking for basically all season in a rookie that not too many people... I've been talking about right guard has been a very interesting position for this team and a spot that really nobody has been able to hang on to Jackson Powers Johnson started in that position there to open the year then left the week three win over the Saints with a groin injury Caleb Rogers then took over in week four against the Chiefs and the rotation never really stopped it just turned into a revolving door. And while that spot kept changing, so did the results. The Raiders then went on a four-game losing streak. Then on October 28th, the rotation landed on Trey Zune. And he was getting the reps at right guard in practice pretty regularly. And Clint Kubiak said it out loud last week that they're going to keep shaking it up until they find the right mix. Now, not everyone thought the problem was only on one side. One reply asked why right guard was the only spot the Raiders were rotating at. People who cover this team every single day who are talking to players, coaches, were talking about how the guards are simply the weakest spots on the line. A lot of talk about leaving Glaze and Linderbaum alone, but to fix the guards. And that is how a rookie ended up taking first team reps at right guard all week long. Now, before we go any further into how this affects the team and, of course, the game next week, a quick reminder to hit that subscribe button if you are enjoying the content. The support on the channel so far has been unbelievable, guys. We've already hit three. 1,000 subscribers and our next goal is now 5,000 subscribers. Thank you so much to everybody who supported the channel, who's left comments, given their thoughts and hit that subscribe button. If you want more daily updates on everything that's happening with your Las Vegas Raiders, make sure to hit that subscribe button. Now back to the update. So who exactly is Trey Zune? Let's get into it. Trey Zune III went in the third round of the 2024 draft, 91st overall. Most Raiders fans would have no idea who this guy is or what his name was in April. And that's normal for a pick in the 90s. Sometimes these guys are just considered depth. Out of Texas A&M where he was the starting left tackle last season, 650 snaps at left tackle and another 126 at center. He's a big boy. The Raiders have him listed at 6'7", 319 pounds. However, one draft grade that really liked him had one worry. Shorter arms and a tall frame would make it very hard for him to stick a tackle in the NFL. But as I think most people are realizing now, the thing Thing about Zune is that he's very versatile. He's a guy and a lineman. who can play just about anywhere even on draft night people were talking about that even as a guard he can definitely start and yet a lot of that goes by the wayside and 91st overall pick doesn't really get a lot of hype he was the backup center and the extra lineman in heavy sets and then a knee injury sidelines him and costs him the Patriots game back in October Then he was questionable again on October 16th and active two days later. This is a rookie who had a really good first impression. Then he spent most of October hurt on the bench. And then by November, he's made such a good impression that he is starting. And he's not costing this team anything either. four-year rookie deal at 1.7 million dollars but behind the scenes and at practice they saw something that not a lot of people are seeing and he made a great first impression you can see a quote here from the offensive coordinator hard worker attention to detail but he keeps striving for different opportunities and it definitely shows when you hear him talk Alexa Belcastro caught up with him on October 30th about how much he has grown since minicamp And with all the praise and the reps that he was getting in practice last week, Zune didn't come across as some backup. He said, quote, the team believes that I can get those reps there. So I'm going to take those reps and be confident. I know I can do it. He said, I know I can do it. And I love that confidence. But then on Sunday, he had to prove that he could do it. And the Raiders won 38 to 33 against the Jets. They were down at halftime and a lot of fans were already crashing out 23 to 14 again at the half and then scored 24 points in the second half. And that win was crucial. It snapped a four game losing streak and the Raiders are now back. Only two games back of Denver in the AFC West and very much still alive this season. And one of the main reasons for that win again is Kirk Cousins. And this is what he had to say after the game. But first of all, keep in mind, by the way, that Cousins is the guy who feels it first when a guard gets beat. He said, quote, that's usually the best lineman when you don't even know they're there. I didn't really know Trey was there today. So that is a good sign. And he compared it to Christian Daroesaw one of the best tackles in the league. And coming from a guy who's playing out of his mind in Kirk Cousins this season for a lineman, that is a huge compliment. And not just the quarterback, but the head coach, Clint Kubiak, also really liked what he saw. He said, quote, I thought Trey was calm in there. I thought he was well prepared. That was not a surprise, but I thought he played very well. But the key there is he said, not a surprise. That is a coach that has been paying attention to all the little details in practice and knew that this was going to happen and had confidence in his player. He also didn't stop there. He said that the staff was pleased with what his future looks like for this Raiders team. Former NFL lineman Marshall Newhouse also spoke out and said that Trey Zune might not give the right guard job back to him. And many were speculating last week if Zune could be the answer at right guard for this team, and many of those people have their answer now. Now, it is one game. Nobody is ready to build a statue for Trey Zune just yet. But, Clint Kubiak was asked on Monday if Trey Zune has shown enough to keep starting at right guard, and he said, quote, And he also went on to add that he's continuing to ascend. Now, here's the thing to keep an eye on. JPJ was questionable with a back injury on the week eight report. When he's fully healthy, there is going to be a big decision to make. Although when asked on Monday after the game against the Jets, Clint Kubiak didn't necessarily say they're going to continue to shake things up. He just said, yeah, I believe we could see him, Trey Zune, that is, continuing to start. My thoughts are the kid played really well. Don't fix what isn't broken. Maybe give him one more shot. And I truly believe, and this goes for Mendoza too, by the way, I'm going to make a video on that. I truly believe that you don't get better and you don't learn by not being in those situations. You need to be playing in those situations to continue to get better. So after a season of the continuing musical chairs of rotating, the Raiders may have finally found the right guard for the job, and that is Trey Zune. And it's always fun to have young players playing well like that and to find these hidden gems, but the real test for this entire team comes next week. And if you want to know just how big of a test that is, take a look at the odds on Kalshi right now, who, by the way, is sponsoring today's video. So a very special thank you to Kalshi. Sunday, November 8th, it's the Raiders and the 49ers. Kalshi has the 49ers at a 79% chance of winning and the Raiders only at 21%. And it's been that way since that market opened on October 27th. The 49ers have been the big favorite the entire way. Almost $200,000 has been traded on this game alone. Now, if you like what you're seeing from this offense, and let me tell you, there's a lot of questions with the defense, not even questions, they're abysmal. But if you believe in this team and what they've been doing, This season, that's where it gets very interesting. $25 backing on the Raiders right now pays out up to $112. And if you're interested in trying Kalshi, use the link in the description and the pinned comment and use code DIGESTNFL to get $55 added to your account instantly when you trade your first $25. Once again, go to Kalshi.com slash digest NFL or use the links in the description and all new users will get $55 instantly when they trade their first $25. Use promo code digest NFL and it's very special. Thank you once again to Kalshi for sponsoring this video. Now we have one last update I want to get to very quickly because I saw it just before recording this video and that's Darian Porter left yesterday's game with a groin injury and he was ruled out. That one obviously hurts. Porter has been very reliable this season. He's played a season-high 50 defensive snaps against the Patriots in October. Kubiak did say that they will be monitoring this throughout the week. There is no timeline yet. They're going to see how his groin reacts. Before this, the coaches were splitting snaps between him and Masses. Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said that there's nothing guaranteed right now. So again, they're just going to have to see how it reacts in practice this week. And Kubiak has always backed this player, too. He said that he's a competitor with really thick skin. McCoy did end up taking his spot, and it was a rough welcome. He was beaten for an 18-yard touchdown in the second quarter. But Kubiak isn't necessarily pulling him. He just wanted to get him some exposure and getting him in the game. So that is probably going to continue at least a little bit. So we'll see if anything changes throughout the week and whether Porter is out of that game on Sunday against the 49ers. I expect to see a lot more McCoy against San Francisco. And that's a big ask for a rookie and a guy who got. So let me know in the comments below, did Trey Zune just win that job? Is this his position now? I think they found a hidden gem here. He's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and when he's healthy, he's playing very well for them. And if you want to stay up to date with everything else that's going on with the Raiders from post-game reactions to roster moves, make sure to go down below, hit that free subscribe button. But guys, my name is Darius Dominguez. This is Raiders Digest, and I'll see you in the next video.