Oakland Raiders 53-man Roster Prediction

53-man Roster Prediction: Defensive Line

The Defensive Line: Khalil Mack, Dan Williams, Mario Edwards Jr., Justin Ellis, Denico Autry, Stacy McGee, Leon Orr, Jihad Ward, James Cowser, Drew Iddings, Branden Jackson, Darius Latham, Greg Townsend Jr., Derek Lott.

This is a scary group, with eight of the spots being locked up. Most teams carry nine defensive lineman, so that likely leaves room for only one more player.

First Cut: Jackson, Lott.

Lott, a DT out of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, is a recent addition to the 90-man roster. He replaced Roy Helu on the roster, who was released with an injury settlement.

Jackson floats around 240 lbs., and although he looked good in the first preseason game, he is simply less talented than some of the other options.

Second Cut: Iddings, Latham, Townsend.

Latham is my favorite of the UDFA defensive linemen — but with Williams, Ellis, Orr and McGee already at DT, I don’t think there is room for him.

That leaves Iddings and Townsend, both of whom are also intriguing UDFA’s. Two, or maybe all three could end up on the practice squad.

Who makes the team: Mack, Williams, Edwards Jr., Ellis, Autry, McGee, Orr, Ward, Cowser.

With the first eight players being just about a lock, the ninth spot is up for grabs.

Cowser is listed as a linebacker/defensive end on the official team roster, but we’ll include him here.

Next: 53-man Roster Prediction: LB