The Las Vegas Raiders traded away DT P.J. Hall today and he is the latest flame out from the team’s disastrous 2018 NFL Draft class.
As good as the 2019 NFL Draft class was for the Raiders, it is matched in awfulness by the 2018 class. Defensive tackle P.J. Hall is just the latest player to be deemed ineffective by the current front office from that class, as he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings early this week. He joins a list of other names that have under-performed for the Raiders since being selected two seasons ago.
The alarm bells should have been ringing in April for Hall when GM Mike Mayock called him out during an interview at the NFL combine. Mayock was speaking in general about new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and focused specifically on PJ when speaking on Marinelli’s no-nonsense approach to effort.
Apparently, Hall did not heed the warning and he showed up to training camp overweight and not up to the task of fighting for a roster spot under his new position coach. Hall isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last player to be released for showing up to camp out of shape but he continues a terrible trend for the Raiders and their 2018 class.
Join us as we take a look back at GM Reggie McKenzie’s final draft for the Silver and Black.
P.J. Hall trade further condemns Raiders 2018 NFL Draft class
The Good: Kolton Miller, Maurice Hurst, Marcell Ateman
We would be remiss not to mention two players from the 2018 class that have actually contributed to the Raiders since their selections. Kolton Miller was taken 15th overall out of UCLA to be the franchise’s cornerstone left tackle, and he struggled mightily in his first season with injuries and general ineptitude.
The 2019 offseason was huge for Miller as he worked on his body and became a dependable player for the Raiders last season. He was not quite Pro Bowl level, but he was no longer the turnstile that he was in his rookie season.
The Raiders have high hopes for Miller and think he can be a franchise tackle.
Maurice “Mo” Hurst had the pedigree and college career to be an early round pick, but a heart condition had teams worried so he was available for the Raiders to snatch him up in the 5th round. For a player selected 140th overall, he has been incredibly productive and the team deserves kudos for taking a chance on him.
In two seasons he has played in 29 games, recording 49 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and even a memorable interception against the Tennessee Titans. Hurst is a serviceable defensive tackle and provides the Raiders with a solid pass rush up the middle.
Lastly, Marcell Ateman was an afterthought in the 7th round, but he has stuck around the team as he bounced back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster. He has not lit up the stat sheet by any stretch but for a player selected that late, staying in the NFL for three years is an achievement.
Ateman is a gamer but he is not enough to tip the scales in favor of this draft class.
P.J. Hall trade further condemns Raiders 2018 NFL Draft class
The Bad: PJ Hall, Arden Key
PJ Hall was always a bit of a reach when the Raiders selected him in the second round out of FCS school Sam Houston State. Hall had the athleticism and size of top-tier NFL defensive tackle, but after two years, he never advanced past that initial raw ability.
In two seasons, Hall played 30 games and record 48 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and only 1.5 sacks.
Basic production is not the best measure of a defensive tackle, and he improved in his sophomore season, but he was never the player the Raiders hoped he would become when they spent a second round pick on him. He has been vastly outplayed by fellow defensive tackle Mo Hurst, and was already looking at an uphill battle to make the 2020 roster thanks to the new additions.
Next on the Bad list is defensive end Arden Key, who the Raiders picked in the third round at 87th overall. Key was a productive player at LSU with 20 sacks in just 31 games, but he has been unable to maintain weight and stay healthy so far in his career.
Key has just three sacks in 23 games and is very much on the bubble coming in to the 2020 season.
P.J. Hall trade further condemns Raiders 2018 NFL Draft class
The Ugly: Brandon Parker, Nick Nelson, Johnny Townsend, Azeem Victor
As the slide title suggests, things go from bad to ugly very quickly for the 2018 class with this batch of names. Brandon Parker was taken in the third round, 65th overall out of North Carolina A&T, and was forced to start as a rookie.
Parker has started 15 games for the Raiders in his brief career and he has been among the worst starters in the league. His PFF grades of 47.3 and 39.2 speak for themselves, and this is exacerbated by the fact that the Raiders could have chosen a Pro Bowl tackle in Orlando Brown, Jr who was selected 83rd overall.
It would be a major surprise if Parker makes it to Week 1.
Next on the ugly list is cornerback Nick Nelson who has done next to nothing since being selected in the 4th round, 110th overall out of Wisconsin. Nelson has played just 12 games over two years and is a prime cut candidate in a crowded defensive backfield.
Johnny Townsend was a highly-touted punter at the University of Florida and actually “set the all-time punting record for the Gators” in 2016. Jon Gruden, fresh off the release of Marquette King, was in the hunt for a new punter and used a fifth round pick on Townsend when he likely could have signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Townsend was awful in his rookie season and was waived by the Raiders to be replaced by AJ Cole.
Last on this list is a player who barely deserves a footnote in the Raiders’ history books. Azeem Victor was drafted in the sixth round, 216th overall out of Washington but was released before Week 1. He is currently without a team after training camp stints in the AAF and XFL most recently.
Many sixth and seventh round picks do not make the final rosters, so it may not be fair to include Victor on this list, but he is yet another name in this class that failed to make any positive impact for the Silver and Black.