Raiders Draft Justin Ellis and Keith McGill in the 4th Round
By J.R.
Nov 9, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes defensive back Keith McGill (1) tries to prevent a pass while Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jaelen Strong (21) keeps his eyes on the ball during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Arizona State Sun Devils won the game 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
The Raiders have already made their first two picks of the day and have drafted Nose Tackle Justin Ellis from Louisiana Tech and Defensive Back Keith McGill from Utah. Both of these positions were expected to be addressed during the draft and add much needed depth to the Raiders defense.
Justin Ellis is a big defensive tackle who is expected to be a big run stuffer in the middle of the Raiders line. He is not expected to give much in pass rushing, as he only recorded 2.5 sacks in 4 years at Louisiana Tech. A small school player who will add depth to the DT position already consisting of Pat Sims and Stacy McGee.
He will not be asked to be a day 1 starter and can get some time to develop his skills, while getting in some rotational work during the season. One of the biggest problems last season for the Raiders defense was their inability to keep their line fresh from a lack of depth. This pick will help keep the line fresh later in the game. Good value for this pick getting this big guy in the 4th round.
Keith McGill is a Defensive back from Utah who is 6′ 3″ 214 lbs. McGill has raw skills right now and is also not expected to start right away. He is versatile as he could play press man corner or possibly move to Safety due to his size and speed. He has similar size to Seattle Seahawk’s safety Kam Chancellor and the Raiders could be looking to use him in a similar way.
If they decide to keep McGill at corner back they will be looking to use him in a press man corner that can bully smaller receivers. Again this is great value getting this guy in the 4th round, adding depth to the Raiders secondary. If McGill stays at corner and refines his skill the Raiders could have one of the top cornerback tandems in a couple of seasons with him and D.J. Hayden.
With 3 more picks in this draft all coming in the 7th round it will be interesting to see if Reggie stays put or tries to trade back up and draft a player high on their draft board. Either way Just Blog Baby has all your draft coverage, with up to the minute updates on all things Raiders.