Las Vegas Raiders will be strong up front on both sides of the ball
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders will be strong up front on both sides of the ball
Defensive Line
The 2018 NFL season was not kind to the then-Oakland Raiders in many ways, as they won only four games in Jon Gruden’s return to the sidelines, and managed a dismal 13 sacks as a team. Losing All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack was just too much for the defense to overcome, and when Mayock came in as general manager, he knew this was an area he needed to attack.
He did so by adding Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby via the 2019 NFL Draft, with Ferrell being the No. 4 overall selection. While he did not have the best rookie season, Crosby was a monster, racking up ten sacks himself, including four in one game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Inside, the Raiders saw progress from Maurice Hurst in Year 2, and Johnathan Hankins ended up leading all defensive tackles in tackles. This offseason, Maliek Collins was brought into the mix at defensive tackle, and based on everything we have seen from him in Dallas, he is going to be an excellent addition to this group.
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Carl Nassib was also added via free agency this offseason, and will mix in with Crosby and Ferrell, giving the Raiders another solid option coming off the edges. If Arden Key can get healthy, that is four pass rushers the Raiders can count on, but even if not, this is a much better group than the one he joined when he was drafted in 2018.