Oakland Raiders: 4 Intriguing Position Battles Worth Keeping An Eye On

August 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tackle Khalif Barnes (69, right) blocks Detroit Lions defensive tackle C.J. Mosley (99) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Lions 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Guard – Khalif Barnes v. Jon Feliciano

The Raiders went into this year’s draft needing to address their situation on the offensive line. Specifically, they needed to find a right guard to help anchor the line. They came out of the fourth round with former Miami Hurricane Jon Feliciano.

The presumption to this point, has been that veteran lineman Khalif Barnes would be starting at right guard for Oakland this season. And why not? He’s played the position quite capably for the Raiders in the past, and in lieu of a better option, it looked like he was likely going to be playing there – presumably still capably – when the season began.

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But Feliciano perhaps, changes that dynamic and changes that thinking. He’s got the sort of toughness and attitude that Del Rio is fond of. He’s been described as a “mauler” though he’s also been described as “raw” by some NFL scouts.

Some project Barnes as the starter because they believe that Feliciano is more of a project than a viable starter at this point. But that’s far from guaranteed. It’s entirely possible that Feliciano has a good enough training camp to pry the position away from Barnes – who is capable, but not overwhelmingly great. It really is anybody’s job at this point.

It will be one of the more interesting, intense battles in camp this summer.

Next: Battle #4: Wide Receiver