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Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Defense gets an influx of talent

By Khaled Abdallah

Dec 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels (left), owner Mark Davis (center) and general manager Dave Ziegler talk before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels (left), owner Mark Davis (center) and general manager Dave Ziegler talk before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 22: John Michael Schmitz #60 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers lines up against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 22: John Michael Schmitz #60 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers lines up against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Defense gets an influx of talent

. OC. Golden Gophers . John Michael Schmitz. 76. player. 852

The Raiders have a depth issue on the interior offensive line and that got even worse this week as they released 2020 fourth round pick John Simpson. They made a corresponding roster move but it’s a bad sign that they let go of a player taken with a relatively high pick for an interior lineman.

What was once a position of strength is now a weakness and the Raiders may try to address it with the 76th overall pick by picking John Michael Schmitz out of Minnesota. Schmitz is ranked by many publications as the top center in the draft but as we know, if you can play center at a high level, you can play either guard position.

Schmitz excels at reach blocks and has great explosion in the run game which is what Josh McDaniels looks for in a competent interior lineman. He has good size at 6-4, 320lbs and should be able to hold up against even the biggest defensive linemen.

The knocks on Schmitz include dealing with speedy pass rushers which is possible in obvious passing situations and is considered above average but not great in pass protection. Those struggles are limited mostly to more agile pass rushers so as we said, it can be an issue when a defense has 4 defensive ends on the field in a passing down. That said, he looks to be a great prospect and would be great value in the third round.

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