2018 Raiders NFL Draft: Maurice Hurst deserves top-10 respect

The first round of the 2018 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, and the Oakland Raiders could go in a number of different directions.

The Oakland Raiders have plenty of defensive holes to address this coming draft. And with the #10 overall pick this Thursday, they are in an ideal position to find a prime-time defensive player. We’ve heard everything from Roquan Smith to Denzel Ward associated with the silver and black.

However, if you look at the top defensive teams like Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Jacksonville their dominance starts on the defensive line. A top tier front four can hide a lot of issues for any defense, so with Khalil Mack already being an established and elite pass rusher, it’s time to get him some interior help.

That is why my draft profile will look at the player who I think is the best interior defensive lineman in the draft, Michigan’s Maurice Hurst.

I think Hurst has the potential to create consistent havoc on the inside and quickly improve not only the pass rush but the run defense as well.

College Career

Hurst was forced to split time his first few seasons given the amount of depth Michigan had on its defense. In 2016 he really began to shine as he racked up 11.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks in only 328 snaps. Then the gloves came completely off in 2017 as his snaps nearly doubled at 620. Hurst dominated on the interior recording 59 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He was a consensus All-American, team MVP, and anchored Michigan’s 3rd ranked total defense. In his 41 games at Michigan Hurst totaled 130 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.

For his 2017 season, Pro Football Focus gave Hurst a 96.8 overall grade which is their highest grade for any interior defender in their 4 years of grading.