2021 NFL Draft: 2 DTs the Las Vegas Raiders should target

The Las Vegas Raiders still have many deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball, and these two 2021 draft prospects could help fill one of them.

The inability of the Las Vegas Raiders’ interior defensive line to generate pressure was a glaring deficiency during the 2020 NFL season, as was stopping the run. Luckily, there are some prospects that are eligible in the 2021 NFL Draft that the Silver and Black should contemplate picking up.

This past offseason, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden left the defensive line’s interior largely untouched, save for signing Maliek Collins. Unfortunately, as Raider Nation has already seen, Collins was arguably the biggest miss of free agency and should be one-and-done with the team.

It could be argued that Collins wasn’t healthy, or simply wasn’t used correctly in Paul Guenther’s defense, but those are two excuses. Nevertheless, it would be wiser for Raiders brass to draft a player that can anchor the defensive line alongside Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell.

An optimal scenario for the Silver and Black would be for them to bring back defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins this offseason. The imposing run-stuffer should be in their long-term plans, granted for the right price. He had 35 solo tackles, one sack, and had a solid run defense grade of 66.6 per Pro Football Focus.

Maurice Hurst Jr. has also shown flashes of brilliance but they have been too far in between, in other words, the Raiders need more consistency. With that being said, let’s take a look at some prospects.