Pre-draft Prior to his senior year, Alexander was considered one of the top senior prospects for the
2016 NFL draft. Alexander was invited to and played in the
Senior Bowl in January 2016. Coming out of college, he was ranked as the second best offensive guard and projected to be selected in the second or third round. After the
NFL Combine, Alexander was projected by the majority of analysts to be selected in the third or fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft and was ranked the seventh best offensive guard out of the 203 available by NFLDraftScout.com.
Oakland Raiders Alexander was selected by the
Oakland Raiders in the seventh round, 234th overall, in the
2016 NFL draft. Many analysts were surprised by his drastic fall in the draft, as the majority of them had him projected as a second or third round selection. They said the steep fall in his draft stock likely came from not testing well at the combine and being seen as a prospect who better shows his talents in games. Scouts and teams also had concerns about his weight and conditioning. On May 9, 2016, the Raiders signed him to a four-year, $2.41 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $76,846. He started his rookie season as the backup right guard to veteran
Gabe Jackson. Alexander made his regular season debut during the second game of the season in a loss against the
Atlanta Falcons. On October 2, 2016, he made his first career start during a 28–27 victory over the
Baltimore Ravens after starting right tackle
Austin Howard was unable to play due to an ankle injury. Howard's backup.
Menelik Watson, was unable to play after he suffered an
hamstring injury and the Raider's third backup right tackle option,
Matt McCants, was down with a knee injury. Alexander was called for three
holding penalties and a
false start. He also started at right tackle the following game, for a Raider's win 34–31 over the
San Diego Chargers. On December 4, 2016, Alexander started the game against the
Buffalo Bills at
tight end. He was used as an extra blocker on the opening drive, with the Raider's defeating the Bills 38–24. The next game, he had his first official career start at right guard against the
Kansas City Chiefs after starting right guard
Kelechi Osemele was unable to play due to an illness that was later verified to be
kidney stones. After having trouble with the Chief's defense during the first three snaps, head coach
Jack Del Rio replaced him with veteran
Jon Feliciano. They later rotated at right guard throughout the 13–21 loss to Kansas City. On May 1, 2018, Alexander was suspended the first four games of the regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He was waived by the Raiders on July 31, 2018, after failing to report to
training camp.
Pittsburgh Maulers Alexander was selected by the
Pittsburgh Maulers of the
United States Football League (USFL) in the 22nd round of the
2022 USFL draft. He was transferred to the team's inactive roster on May 6 with an
arthritis flare-up. He was moved back to the active roster on May 14. He was transferred to the inactive roster again on May 20, but moved back to the active roster the next day. He became a free agent when his contract expired on December 31, 2022.
St. Louis Battlehawks On January 1, 2023, Alexander was selected by the
St. Louis Battlehawks of the
XFL in the eighth round of the
2023 XFL Supplemental Draft. He re-signed with the team on January 23, 2024. == References ==