5 most underrated Las Vegas Raiders heading into 2020
By Brad Weiss
5 most underrated Las Vegas Raiders heading into 2020
Johnathan Hankins
The Raiders made a bunch of solid moves in free agency to address the defensive side of the ball, and one of those moves was bringing in Maliek Collins. A dominant defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, Collins comes to the Raiders alongside former coach Rod Marinelli, so you can expect him to play a big role on this Raiders defense in 2020.
In addition to Collins, the team is expecting Maurice Hurst Jr. to continue to improve in Year 3, and he has come to camp bulked up and ready to go. Fellow 2018 draft pick P.J. Hall has already been cut after showing up out of shape again, which could clear the way for an undrafted guy like Mike Panasiuk to make the roster.
A lot of the talk this offseason has centered around Collins, Hall, and Hurst in terms of defensive tackle, leaving Johnathan Hankins as overlooked, but not underappreciated. This is a guy that head coach Jon Gruden absolutely loves, and after leading all defensive tackles in tackles last season, he is very much going to be a part of what the Raiders do on defense this season.
Hankins is outstanding against the run, and even if he does not start for the team, he is going to make his impact felt. A former All-American at Ohio State, this guy was a second round pick, and certainly played like one last season.