Oakland Raiders: Maurice Hurst could be a Pro Bowler in Year 2
By Brad Weiss
Maurice Hurst had an excellent rookie season for the Oakland Raiders, and he could be headed towards his first Pro Bowl in Year 2.
In the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Michigan defensive tackle, Maurice Hurst. Heading into the draft season, Hurst was seen as a first round talent, but a heart issue caused him to drop all the way to the fifth, where the Raiders were willing to take a chance on him.
Of course, the Raiders did their due diligence before making the pick, because obviously they did not want to put Hurst in any danger. Hurst was cleared by both Michigan, and Harvard, and while it is something that will always be monitored, it certainly did not affect him as a rookie.
Hurst played in 13 games as a rookie, making ten starts, and establishing himself as a leader on the inside of this Raiders defensive line. The then-23 year old led the Raiders in quarterback sacks with four, and had three passes defended and one forced fumble.
His stellar rookie campaign was not lost on Pro Football Focus.
Not only did Hurst have the highest tackling grade on the Raiders last season, but his 77.7 grade according to Pro Football Focus was actually the sixth among every interior defender in the NFL. With a solid rookie year under his belt, expect him to make a huge leap forward in Year 2.
#Raiders Maurice Hurst's 77.7 tackling grade led the team in 2018, and ranked 6th among all interior defenders ☠️
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) May 20, 2019
@mohurstjr is among our players from the 2018 draft class who are poised for big sophomore campaigns 🔽 https://t.co/Sx1P8sYCqX pic.twitter.com/9xfOoLCT5l
Entering Year 2, the Raiders will be relying on Hurst to continue to improve as a player, and he has some solid talent around him on the defensive line. The Raiders went out and utilized three of their nine draft picks on defensive end, an area of incredible weakness for the team last season, and that should help take some of the pressure of off Hurst on the inside.
Next. Antonio Brown's exceptional offseason. dark
Defensive tackle is actually an area of good depth for the Raiders, as guys like P.J. Hall, Justin Ellis, and Johnathan Hankins should all receive their fair share of playing time next season. However, Hurst is the leader of this group, and with a stellar new defensive line coach in Brentson Buckner on the staff, the sky is the limit to how good this kid could actually become.
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