Defensive Line (9): Clelin Ferrell, Arden Key, Maurice Hurst, Johnathan Hankins, Maxx Crosby, Justin Ellis, P.J. Hall, Benson Mayowa, Josh Mauro
Last season, the Oakland Raiders were historically bad at getting after the quarterback, and the organization made sure to address that during the 2019 offseason. While they did not bring in many players via free agency, or trades, they did utilize three draft picks on the defensive end position, including their first round pick.
Clelin Ferrell, the No. 4 overall pick in 2019, will be a starter for the team as a rookie, and has everything you look for to succeed in Paul Guenther’s 4-3 scheme. In the fourth round, Oakland grabbed Maxx Crosby, who has the nastiest to be a stellar edge rusher at the NFL level, but still needs to put on some mass.
They will join Arden Key, Benson Mayowa, and Josh Mauro on the edge, and in the middle, the Raiders have some stellar young talent in Maurice Hurst and P.J. Hall. Johnathan Hankins stepped up in 2018, and Justin Ellis is healthy again, so this is a defensive line that should be vastly improved over next season. Let’s see if they can get after the quarterback, though.