Oakland Raiders: Revisiting the 2018 NFL Draft class
By Brad Weiss
Stud defensive tackles
Prior to the 2018 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders invested in veteran defensive tackle Justin Ellis, inking him to a three-year extension. However, Ellis would sustain an injury in Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season, opening the door for the Raiders rookie draft picks to play extended time in year one.
In the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Oakland selected P.J. Hall from Sam Houston State. The pick, at the time, as a bit of a shocker, as not too many experts had Hall that high on their board, and defensive tackle was not seen as a huge need for the roster that early.
However, Hall played very well as a rookie, especially in the second half of the year, where Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the No. 3 rookie interior defensive lineman from Week 11-17.
In Weeks 11-17 of 2018, #Raiders P.J. Hall's 73.8 overall grade ranked 3rd among rookie interior defenders that played 130 or snaps over that span ☠️
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) May 17, 2019
Get PFF for all Raiders data: https://t.co/RMnEE8Izpv pic.twitter.com/vRVYZgR1IM
In the fifth round, the Raiders took a chance on Maurice Hurst, who went into the NFL Scouting Combine as a potential first round pick. However, a heart issue was made public, and many teams shied away from him, but after year one, it is clear the Raiders got a steal that late in the draft.
Hurst and Hall will be expected to play big roles on this defense in year two, as they will be key in a position group that has solid depth heading into 2019. Eddie Vanderdoes will come back an injury that robbed him of all of his sophomore season in 2018, and Ellis and Johnathan Hankins will also be in the mix.