2021 NFL Draft: Optimal picks for the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 17
By Sean Basile
2021 NFL Draft: Optimal picks for the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 17
DE Kwity Paye, Michigan
If you aren’t really feeling a defensive tackle at pick 17, or if a guy like Christian Barmore is too much of a wild card for you, I suppose going defensive end isn’t the worst thing either. I mean, look at what recent successful defenses have done in building their D-lines.
You look at the Denver Broncos who were already stacked but brought on Bradley Chubb to make the rich richer. You look at the San Francisco 49ers who built a defensive line littered with first-round picks all swapping out snaps incessantly and that worked out for them pretty well.
The same goes for the Washington Football Team, who took the similar approach that San Fran did in piling up first-rounders and simply time-managing with all those guys, keeping them fresh and more productive.
You now look at the Raiders who already have Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell and have also recently added Solomon Thomas and Yannick Ngakoue and you may already think the group is overpopulated. But why not just continue to add on?
Kwity Paye is the highest-ranked defensive end in this class and can also play a little inside D-line. I can see several teams staking him before the ball stops at the Raiders at 17, but if he does in fact drop, Paye might be the Raiders’ guy.