Oakland Raiders Draft Mario Edwards: JBB Staff Reaction

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Oct 4, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. (15) sacks Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback John Wolford (10) for a loss during the second quarter at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Rory Anderson (Staff Writer, JBB Podcast Co-host)

This second round pick at first really blew me away. It felt truly odd but once I thought about it and read back on my notes, it makes sense. Edwards is a freakish athlete and has a crazy motor.

His dimensions scream being a strong side defensive end in base downs and a nickel three tech. I graded Edwards with a third round grade however it seems many evaluators around the league had a much higher opinion of him.

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Mario Edwards said on a conference call after his selection that he was told he would play the weak side rusher/leo position. This means he will stay at 280 pounds where he is very effective and it will place Mack back at the strong side linebacker spot.

This is neither a good pick nor a bad pick. I believe Edwards will start from day one, but most likely I think the Raiders will go back to the defensive line in this draft. I expect an edge rusher specialist in round three to he the most likely move. I did a seven round mock idea where the Raiders drafted Owa/Smith in Round 2 and then Henry Anderson in Round 3. Pending on what’s left in Round 3 my opinion could drastically change.

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