2021 NFL Draft: Las Vegas Raiders dueling 7-round mock drafts

A lot of Raiders fans will roll their eyes with this pick and rightfully so. Shaun Wade struggled as a boundary defender this past season. He looked nothing like the potential top-50 player from the 2018 and 2019 terms.

However, defensive backs coach Ron Milus may see the opportunity to help Wade find his mojo. Perhaps the coaching staff can move him back to the slot position where he played most of his first two seasons at Ohio State.

Wade compares closely to fellow Buckeye Damon Arnette—a defensive back who can disrupt the passing game with his physicality. He’s a project with recent success at one of Vegas’ positions of need.

Writer’s Pick: DT Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA

At 6’2″, 280 pounds, Osa Odighizuwa doesn’t have the ideal size for a defensive tackle going against 300-plus pounders in the trenches. On the other hand, he’s a fierce competitor with long arms (34⅛ inches) and showed an instinctive burst near the pocket.

This past season, Odighizuwa started to put together some pass-rushing moves, logging four sacks through seven games. In all four years at UCLA, he had been disruptive against the run, logging 27.5 tackles for loss.

The Raiders signed Darius Philon, who’s listed as 6’1″, 286 pounds on the team’s official website. Solomon Thomas is 6’3″, 280 pounds. Gus Bradley may not see Odighizuwa’s stature as an issue.