Oakland Raiders: Midseason grades for the 2018 rookie class

By Brad Weiss | Nov 10, 2018

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 24: Arden Key #99 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after he sacked the quarterback against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 14: Maurice Hurst of Oakland Raiders looks on ahead of the NFL International series match between Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders at Wembley Stadium on October 14, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) /

Maurice Hurst

Heading into the NFL Scouting Combine, Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst was rated as a first round talent. However, when a heart issue was detected during his physical, it forced many teams to shy away from him, and he fell to the fifth round.

The Raiders did their due diligence when figuring out whether or not to draft him, and they have to be very happy that he did. Hurst has been one of the highest-rated Raiders all season long, and he should be one of the more dominant young defensive tackles in the league as he continues to get experience.

Hurst is an incredibly talent run defender, and is one of the better pure tacklers on this roster. It is going to be fun to watch him grow into an elite player in the league, and the hope is he can continue to stay healthy, and have long career in the Silver and Black.

Grade: B+

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