Grading the Las Vegas Raiders additions on defense

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 22: Inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski #44 of the Chicago Bears tackles quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter of the game at Soldier Field on December 22, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 22: Inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski #44 of the Chicago Bears tackles quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter of the game at Soldier Field on December 22, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 29: Nick Kwiatkoski #44 of the Chicago Bears celebrates with his teammates after tackling Mike Boone #23 of the Minnesota Vikings in the end zone for a safety during the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 29: Nick Kwiatkoski #44 of the Chicago Bears celebrates with his teammates after tackling Mike Boone #23 of the Minnesota Vikings in the end zone for a safety during the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders signed five defensive players this week that all bring something different to the table and Just Blog Baby is grading the signings as they are announced.

The Las Vegas Raiders had one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2019 and it was clear that major upgrades were needed at all three levels from defensive line to the defensive backfield. At Just Blog Baby we discussed the different ways that the Raiders could address the glaring needs and highlighted several players that could fill those needs.

In the first week of free agency, GM Mike Mayock and Raiders brass were hard at work, even with all of the COVID-19 madness, at bringing in several players that can immediately improve the defense. The group is a nice mix of proven veterans and back-ups that have shown upside in limited roles but they are all under 30 and still in the primes of their careers.

In this piece we will take a look at what each player can bring to the Raiders defense and assign them grades based on how we believe they will fare in Silver and Black. First, the jewel of the Raiders free agency spree so far:

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