HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders, under the direction of Tom Telesco, continue to have a terrific 2024 NFL Draft, as they concluded day two, rounds two and three today,
With the Silver and Blacks third round pick (#77 overall) they selected offensive tackl Delmar Glaze, who played for the Maryland Terrapins.
Here is the transcrip of what he said:
Third-Round Pick (No. 77 Overall) T DJ Glaze
Q: Can you kind of take us prior to a few moments ago when you were picked? Tell us about maybe
some of the contact or interaction you had with the Raiders prior to the draft please?
Glaze: "Yeah, so, I mean, there were plenty of times I think I've met with them at the Senior Bowl, at the
Combine. So, I was talking to them. I did a Zoom meeting with them, so just kind of continued those
conversations. I was kind of already building that relationship with them. I talked to them a good amount of times leading up to this."
Q: When you spoke with the Raiders, did they give you an indication of what they're looking for from
you in terms of your skills because you've obviously played different positions on the line?
Glaze: "The big thing is versatility. So, being able to play multiple positions is something that I feel helps. In the Zoom meeting, just being able to show them my football IQ, show them I can recall things easily, show them I know kind of the structure of things, and I know what's going on. And so, I think those are some of the big things with the football IQ and the position flexibility."
Q: Were you close with Jakorian Bennett at all and if you've talked to him about his experience in Vegas?
Glaze: "Yeah, that's my guy. He actually just reached out to me, so I got to get back to him after this. But I remember very positive things about it from him."
Q: You mentioned your versatility. Do you have a position where you feel like you really are the most
comfortable?
Glaze: "No, I don't really have a specific position. I feel like, for me, the main thing is being able to be
comfortable anywhere. I played left tackle last year at Maryland, so that's kind of what I'm most recent
at. But, I mean, being able to come in and just being able to play guard, being able to play tackle and be comfortable at it, that'sthe biggest thing for me. So, I mean, I'm comfortable anywhere they plug me. Like I said, I played a lot of tackle, that’s kind of where I have the most recent experience at, but I can go anywhere."
Q: You are extremely talented at pass coverage, that's probably your biggest strength is your ability to
protect the quarterback. When it comes to the running game, how do you feel like you do there?
Glaze: "There's always things to clean up, both pass and run. The biggest thing is making sure I continue to play with good technique everywhere. Technique will help me go a long way. In the NFL, everybody's quicker and stronger, so being able to be the person to play with technique, I feel like it will help. I mean, I feel like I did well in both areas, but there's always things I clean up no matter where it is."
Q: Just curious what your interactions were if you had any with Antonio Pierce?
Glaze: "He seems real cool. He's a young coach, so he told me to come in and bring energy, be able to be a guy that's going to come in and be able to protect the quarterback. That's what I want to do."
Q: A lot of predictions had you going tomorrow, and you know never know what's going to happen.
How prepared were you to go today? How confident were you today? Did you have a draft party?
Glaze: “I hung out here with a lot of my friends and family, a lot of my high school coaches. I mean, you
never know what can happen in the draft, anything can happen. So, kind of talking to my agent we knew the range would kind of be like third to fourth maybe. But just hoping for the best and, like I said, being able to be a guy with position flex, that can easily jump up. If you're a fourth-round guy, you can easily jump up to the third. So, just being ready for that. Just knowing that my skillset is something that can help me possibly go earlier.”
Q: When did you first find football? When did you first start thinking the NFL was a real possibility?
Glaze: " I started playing football when I was four and have been playing since then. You get better and
you find out the competition gets more and more each year. When I kind of got to Maryland, I was like
this is really something that I'm capable of. When you go to a big college it’s like this is something that I can do and when you start playing and you start having good reps and you start kind of dominating, it gets more realistic each year and it leads up to this moment.”
Q: You had two torn ACLs when you were in high school. Could you just talk about what you went
through in that? Did you feel like it basically was over before it began? What was that process like for
you to get back and become the player you are now? Glaze: "Like I said, I started playing when I was
four,so I mean I was pretty much willing to do anything to get to this point here. Thisis only the beginning. So, I mean, the person I am, I wasn't going to let two ACL injuries stop me from reaching my goals. It was a time you're away from football, you have to work extremely hard rehabbing to make sure it's back healthy again. But it was a time where it's like, I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting to my goals though. 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."
Q: Quick question on your knee injury. Was it the same knee or was it both of them?
Glaze: "It was the same knee."
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