If you have not had the Butterscotch Latte from Starbucks then you are missing out on a small victory in life.
Well, since we started this blog post on a completely random note, it should be noted that David Amerson has been cut by the Raiders saving the team six million dollars in cap space. As you can tell I do not do transitional material and right now we are on David Amerson. With that nugget in mind, I fully expect the Raiders to cut Sean Smith. Outside of those two, I believe the Raiders will retain the other borderline veterans including Lynch, Crabtree, Cook, and Irvin. I have gone into detail about why I believe this before and if you want more info on it, browse my Twitter feed.
I do not want to spend much time on this subject since I hit it well in my Free Agency Cometh blog, and it is time to jump straight into the draft. This is a very exciting time to be a Raiders fan because this team is very close in terms of talent and they finally have a coaching staff the is objectively impressive. Regardless of my personal inclination towards patience for coaches like Jack Del Rio, I cannot argue with the sheer talent amassed by Jon Gruden on his staff. In today's NFL with a dynamic generation of coaches, this group is reminiscent of the staff he and Al Davis assembled the first time around.
All that being said, the position that won this week's poll and shall save my sanity from the disturbing event that is The Bachelor, is EDGE. This position, defensive tackle, and cornerback are completely stacked and have immense amounts of talent for the Raiders to sift through. Reggie McKenzie does need to hit on an edge prospect to give the Raiders true verifiable and long term depth at the position. If somehow the Raiders can retain Denico Autry that will help, but a long term solution opposite of Khalil Mack is required for long term success. Luckily for the Raiders, the team could find a very solid talent through round four and see immediate results. Because of the nature of this position I will be providing two names for each section and I will not be including Bradley Chubb who is the hands down best edge prospect in this class. I hope in this list you see a few names you do not already know.
The Value Guys
Tyquan Lewis, OSU
6'4, 265 pounds
44 games: 112 tackles, 37.0 TFL, 23.5 sacks
Well, since we started this blog post on a completely random note, it should be noted that David Amerson has been cut by the Raiders saving the team six million dollars in cap space. As you can tell I do not do transitional material and right now we are on David Amerson. With that nugget in mind, I fully expect the Raiders to cut Sean Smith. Outside of those two, I believe the Raiders will retain the other borderline veterans including Lynch, Crabtree, Cook, and Irvin. I have gone into detail about why I believe this before and if you want more info on it, browse my Twitter feed.
I do not want to spend much time on this subject since I hit it well in my Free Agency Cometh blog, and it is time to jump straight into the draft. This is a very exciting time to be a Raiders fan because this team is very close in terms of talent and they finally have a coaching staff the is objectively impressive. Regardless of my personal inclination towards patience for coaches like Jack Del Rio, I cannot argue with the sheer talent amassed by Jon Gruden on his staff. In today's NFL with a dynamic generation of coaches, this group is reminiscent of the staff he and Al Davis assembled the first time around.
All that being said, the position that won this week's poll and shall save my sanity from the disturbing event that is The Bachelor, is EDGE. This position, defensive tackle, and cornerback are completely stacked and have immense amounts of talent for the Raiders to sift through. Reggie McKenzie does need to hit on an edge prospect to give the Raiders true verifiable and long term depth at the position. If somehow the Raiders can retain Denico Autry that will help, but a long term solution opposite of Khalil Mack is required for long term success. Luckily for the Raiders, the team could find a very solid talent through round four and see immediate results. Because of the nature of this position I will be providing two names for each section and I will not be including Bradley Chubb who is the hands down best edge prospect in this class. I hope in this list you see a few names you do not already know.
The Value Guys
Tyquan Lewis, OSU
6'4, 265 pounds
44 games: 112 tackles, 37.0 TFL, 23.5 sacks
Tyquan Lewis was an integral part of a highly dominant and immensely talented defensive line rotation in Columbus the last few years. He amassed some impressive statistics while boasting a fairly impressive size/speed profile. His dimensions really make him an ideal fit for the Raider. In terms of skill set, he definitely fits the profile of an end who rushes the passer first and stops the run on the way to the quarterback. My biggest knock on him is that he is slow off the ball and more times than not he is the last defensive lineman to shoot out of his stance. This skill can be developed but you would rather see this as something more natural for an edge prospect.
Projection: round 4 or later
Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, ARKST
6'2, 244 pounds
48 games, 179 tackles, 63.0 TFL, 42.0 sacks, 10 FF
Projection: round 4 or later
Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, ARKST
6'2, 244 pounds
48 games, 179 tackles, 63.0 TFL, 42.0 sacks, 10 FF
I am kind of hoping this is the small school guy you have never heard of. You draft nerds out there may have beat me to it, but this guy is fun to watch. Calling him a sack machine is to gloss over the fact of how dominant he was in his conference. He is physical, has a great moto, and is immensely durable. What he lacks against proven talent and in terms of undeveloped repertoire of moves he makes up for in will. He is a little light, but a real NFL weight program could get him to 255 pounds or more.
Projection: round 4 or later
The Enigma Guys
Arden Key, LSU
6'6, 265 pounds
31 games, 129 tackles, 24.5 TFL, 20.0 sacks
Projection: round 4 or later
The Enigma Guys
Arden Key, LSU
6'6, 265 pounds
31 games, 129 tackles, 24.5 TFL, 20.0 sacks
Analysis of Arden Key boils down to two different and polarizing topics. First, the on field. He has literally every tool you could want in a prospect that you see as a long term pass rushing stud. He can definitely afford to grow in his work against the run and do a better job with pad level, but as a rusher he is very solid. On the flipside you have his personal issues. He took time off in the summer for "personal reasons", he has had injuries including a torn labrum, and you just don't know where his head is at. Someone is going to think they can take what this guy is and channel it into one heck of a football player.
Projection: Top half of round one
Josh Sweat, FSU
6'4, 250 pounds
35 games, 138 tackles, 29.0 TFL, 14.5 sacks
Projection: Top half of round one
Josh Sweat, FSU
6'4, 250 pounds
35 games, 138 tackles, 29.0 TFL, 14.5 sacks
Pause me when you think this sounds familiar. A highly talented and sought after high school talent battles injuries and does not produce up to his talent level and leaves school early in order to cash in without risking his health... Well that there is the story of Josh Sweat, a guy who many may have thought early in his career at FSU could be a first round pick. What I like about him is his arm length and his strength which allows him to extend and disengage. If he was heavier we could be talking about him as a five technique prospect, but as it stands now he is likely a 34 outside linebacker on the strong side that excels on defeating tight ends at the point of attack. What is great about Sweat is that he is incredibly raw.
Projection: round 3
The GIF Guys
Chad Thomas, Miami
6'6, 275 pounds
40 games, 103 tackles, 26.0 TFL, 10.0 sacks
Projection: round 3
The GIF Guys
Chad Thomas, Miami
6'6, 275 pounds
40 games, 103 tackles, 26.0 TFL, 10.0 sacks
If you want to watch a legitimate NFL five tech play defensive tackle and just utterly annihilate some guards with a combination of strong hands and quick feet, then please be my guest and go watch Chad. This dude had no business playing inside other than the fact that he proved to be pretty decent at it. Jokes aside, I do worry about his length giving him issues inside in the NFL, but we have seen how long and tall ends such as Calais Campbell can be successful. Chad is hyper explosive athletic freak that is a straight line destroyer and for the Raiders I could see him line up as a strong side defensive end and really make an immediate impact. Thomas will be a divisive prospect and may fall do to it. There are questions with his consistency and position long term, but this kid can ball.
Projection: late round 2- round 3
Hercules Mata'afa, Wazzu
6'1, 250 pounds
34 games, 121 tackles, 45.5 TFL, 21.0 sacks
Projection: late round 2- round 3
Hercules Mata'afa, Wazzu
6'1, 250 pounds
34 games, 121 tackles, 45.5 TFL, 21.0 sacks
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG IM DYING!!!!! OOOO I CANT FEEL MY FINGERS IM LAUGHING SO HARD!!!!!!
Sorry about that, I was still getting over the absurd comedy that was watching Pac 12 guards completely whiff and forget that Herc was lining up right in front of them as he simply side stepped and destroy running backs in the backfield. There is a really good chance that Hercules ends up being a linebacker in the NFL especially a 34 strong side inside linebacker where he can seek and destroy blockers in the run game, but watching him at this size just go completely forgotten at times was quite hilarious. He has times where it seems the guards just look right over him and he goes full speed into a running back. Mata'afa has a heck of a nose for the ball, but I cannot see him as an edge guy in the end.
Projection: Round 5
The Anderson Guys
Duke Ejiofor, WF
6'4, 270 pounds
38 games, 133 tackles, 43.5 TFL, 24 sacks, 4 FF
Sorry about that, I was still getting over the absurd comedy that was watching Pac 12 guards completely whiff and forget that Herc was lining up right in front of them as he simply side stepped and destroy running backs in the backfield. There is a really good chance that Hercules ends up being a linebacker in the NFL especially a 34 strong side inside linebacker where he can seek and destroy blockers in the run game, but watching him at this size just go completely forgotten at times was quite hilarious. He has times where it seems the guards just look right over him and he goes full speed into a running back. Mata'afa has a heck of a nose for the ball, but I cannot see him as an edge guy in the end.
Projection: Round 5
The Anderson Guys
Duke Ejiofor, WF
6'4, 270 pounds
38 games, 133 tackles, 43.5 TFL, 24 sacks, 4 FF
Do you remember that scene at the beginning of the movie Aladdin where the merchant is trying to sell the viewer on a new gizmo? Well, that is me talking about Duke except all I do is smack you in the face and call you an idiot until you buy it. On a serious note, if you are looking for an old school 43 strong side defensive end you have a fantastic prospect in Ejiofor. What I love about him is that he plays both sides, has an ideal profile, very aggressive hands of stone, some developed moves, and surprising lower body agility. What I do not like is his lack of explosiveness and his lack of disengagement in the run game where he guesses to much, but I would be more than willing to work on those details while using this guy as a third pass rusher.
Projection: Round 2
Harold Landry, BC
6'3, 250 pounds
38 games, 158 tackles, 48.0 TFL, 25.0 sacks, 10 FF
Projection: Round 2
Harold Landry, BC
6'3, 250 pounds
38 games, 158 tackles, 48.0 TFL, 25.0 sacks, 10 FF
There are two players in this draft that immediately reminded me of Khalil Mack for different reasons. One of them is Harold Landry and when you look at him and the way he is built he is eerily similar to Mack. Also, I love how he uses his long arms to keep his space and disengage against offensive lineman. Landry is an edge player that also is always trying to get flat then cut inside, something Khalil Mack has become quite prolific at. He constantly fights to get his hands inside and pairs that with a nice stutter step to inside rip. On tape he shows a solid jump and quality motor as well. The downside on Landry is that he needs to work on his run defense and especially his pad height. There is also a tendency for him to get squished by bigger guys and enveloped and he can lack the strength to separate.
Projection: late round 1-round 2
The Stud Guys
Marcus Davenport
6'6, 255 pounds
43 games, 185 tackles, 37.5 TFL, 21.5 sacks, 6 FF
Projection: late round 1-round 2
The Stud Guys
Marcus Davenport
6'6, 255 pounds
43 games, 185 tackles, 37.5 TFL, 21.5 sacks, 6 FF
Do you want to go see a bit of pass rusher porn? Go watch Marcus Davenport and watch him as he flies around the edge, hit his depth and immediately flip his hips laterally to cut on a dime and flatten out for the quarterback. I do not care if this guy did not hit double digit sacks, or if he played at UTSA, I would absolutely take him at 10 for the Raiders and have the world's largest poop eating grin on my face. Davenport has a rare combination of game experience and insanely high ceiling due to his relatively raw game. For all of his experience, he was not overly developed by UTSA. He has insanely quick feet and a solid burst. He also has a natural feel for hand placement that reminds me of Khalil Mack as well. I do have questions regarding the success of him rushing with his hand in the dirt, but if he was uncomfortable there I would simply ignore it, allow him to stand in a two point and still maintain classic 43 rules and responsibilities. I do not think he is limited to a 34 scheme.
Projection: Early rd 1 to late rd 1
Dorance Armstrong Jr
6'4, 246 pounds
33 games, 142 tackles, 34.5 TFL, 15.5 sacks, 6 FF
Projection: Early rd 1 to late rd 1
Dorance Armstrong Jr
6'4, 246 pounds
33 games, 142 tackles, 34.5 TFL, 15.5 sacks, 6 FF
For the Pickle Heads out there thinking to themselves, "Hey, if he is one of the studs, why haven't you talked about him on Twitter?" Well Pickle Heads, I wanted to surprise you because I am a troll at heart. This is another guy where I do not care how few sacks he had this year and how the tape gets muddled because he is practically triple teamed every play, Dorance has filthy skills. His burst off the end, his athleticism, motor, finish, and bend are a fantastic combination. For a team like the Raiders who are desperate for a long term solution at the edge spot opposite of Mack, this could be the absolute perfect pairing. Lightening for your thunder. Pow for your smack. You get the gist. Yes Dorance needs to add about ten pounds of muscle ideally and I fully expect him to develop that quickly, but that would in no way prevent me from taking him in the top half of the first round. My love aside, I do think he will slide a bit, but someone sneaky in the bottom of the first round will nab this guy.
Projection: Bottom half of the 1st round
Projection: Bottom half of the 1st round