Las Vegas Raiders: Top-3 position groups to address early in the Draft

Edge Rusher

After adding Carl Nassib last month, picking up another pass rusher on the outside isn’t necessarily a need for the Raiders. However, the team could still benefit by adding another edge defender in the draft.

Maxx Crosby had an outstanding rookie campaign with 10 sacks and third-most quarterback pressures among rookies with 45, making him a building block for the future. Unfortunately, Clelin Ferrell‘s first year wasn’t very promising and the organization needs to find another player to take some of the pressure off Crosby’s shoulders.

Sure, Nassib can fill that role but what the team gained in the pass rush department by bringing in the four-year veteran, it lost by letting Benson Mayowa and his seven sacks from last season go.

Adding another defensive end in the first round would be a stretch, however, using one of the three third-round picks would make a lot of sense for Las Vegas. Two names to look out for in the middle of the draft are, Joshua Uche and Bradlee Anae.

Uche met with the Silver and Black at the combine and has the bend that NFL front offices are looking for in a pass rusher. However, he lacks the experience to make teams feel comfortable using a high pick on him as he only played 657 snaps over the past three seasons.

Anae is almost the complete opposite as he was a three-year starter in college, and he needs to improve on his flexibility to be successful at the next level. Regardless of who it is, the Raiders would certainly benefit from adding another pass rusher into the mix.