Las Vegas Raiders: 5 UDFAs with the best chance to make the roster
By Matt Holder
5 UDFAs with a chance to make the Raiders roster this summer.
Mike Panasiuk
General manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden were very active in the defensive tackle market this offseason. They added Maliek Collins, Daniel Ross, and Kendal Vickers via free agency, then signed rookie Mike Panasiuk after the draft. That means out of the seven interior defenders on the 90-man roster, more than half are new players.
The way I see it, there are only three players within the position group who are locks to make the team in September: Collins, Maurice Hurst, and Johnathan Hankins. The Raiders kept four defensive tackles on the 53-man roster last season, which means Panasiuk will be battling with P.J. Hall, Ross, and Vickers for the final spot on the squad.
Hall was considered a bit of a reach when the Raiders spent a second-round pick on him in 2018 and unfortunately, he hasn’t done much to shake that narrative. The Sam Houston St. product has only managed to accumulate 1.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in two seasons, and he was reportedly on the trading block in April.
All of that combined with the team’s activity during the offseason doesn’t exactly bode well for his future with the Silver and Black.
As for the new faces, Ross and Vickers, neither of them really move the needle very much. The former missed all of last season with a shoulder injury and has never played more than 250 defensive snaps in a single season. While the latter has only played in the Canadian Football League where he was fairly unproductive, recording 12 tackles and two sacks in 18 games.
The uncertainty surrounding Hall combined with the relatively low pedigree of Ross and Vickers leaves the door wide open for Panasiuk to make the team. If the former Spartan’s 19 career tackles for loss can transfer over to the next level, he’ll have a chance to carve out a role as a run-stopper along the Raiders’ defensive line.
Rushing the passer will be the biggest hurdle for him to overcome, but with Collins’ and Hurst’s abilities to put pressure on the quarterback, Panasiuk might be the perfect backup to Hankins at nose tackle.