Oakland Raiders: Maurice Hurst will be expected to lead in Year 2
By Brad Weiss
Maurice Hurst had a fantastic rookie season for the Oakland Raiders in 2018, and in Year 2, he will be expected to step into a leadership role on defense.
The Oakland Raiders selected Maurice Hurst in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but he was supposed to go way earlier than that. In fact, Hurst was a first round talent heading into the draft season, but a heart issue detected at the NFL Scouting Combine forced his stock to draft significantly.
By drafting Hurst, the Raiders knew they were getting a steal, as he had been an incredibly gifted defensive lineman during his time at Michigan. As a rookie in 2018, Hurst showed why he was expected to go in the first round, leading the Raiders in sacks, while showing himself to be a dominant player against the run.
As he enters Year No. 2 in the NFL, there will be a lot higher expectations on Hurst. This is a Raiders defense that has added some significant pieces this offseason, including a top edge rusher in Clelin Ferrell from Clemson, but Hurst will be the man who commands the defensive line in 2019.
Hurst has some solid talent around him in the middle, as fellow rookie P.J. Hall showed he can play at the NFL level, and the team should get a healthy Justin Ellis back. In addition, Johnathan Hankins played very well in his first season in the Silver and Black, and 2017 third rounder Eddie Vanderdoes is finally healthy from a torn ACL during the final game of the 2017 regular season.
Though only in his second year, Hurst is going to be expected to step up and lead this group in 2019, and you know he is up to the challenge. He showed that no moment is too big for him during his rookie season, and in a season with plenty to shake your head about, Hurst stood out as one of the more consistent rookies in all of football.
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The 2019 Raiders are a much deeper team than the 2018 variety, and have added guys who will be starters on both sides of the ball this offseason. While it remains to be seen who will start alongside him in Paul Guenther’s 4-3 scheme, there is no doubt Hurst will be a starter, and you can expect him to compete at a Pro Bowl level in Year 2.