The Oakland Raiders turned one of their biggest weaknesses into a strength when they picked up left tackle Jared Veldheer in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. After playing his college ball at division two Hillsdale College Veldheer did not think he had much of a shot at being an NFL player and aspired to be a doctor. But his size and skills made him a promising prospect who could be a solid NFL player.
After completing just his first full season as the starting left tackle for the Oakland Raiders, Veldheer has already lived up to a lot of the promise he showed in college. This couldn't be shown any better than when Veldheer held Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings sack-less in their week 11 match up against the Raiders. That performance ended Allen's streak of 11 straight games with at least one sack.
Veldheer has consistently shown an astonishing ability to adapt to play at the next level. After going from division two football directly into the NFL, Veldheer won a starting job before the season was half way over. Then, in his second year, he showed flashes of play that matched some of the best blind side protectors in the game. If he continues to progress the way he has been, he very well could make the Pro Bowl in his third season.
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