Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: A perfect scenario?
Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: A perfect scenario?
. DL. Crimson Tide . DJ Dale. 214. player. 829
With the way things are going for DJ Dale at the Senior Bowl practices, he may not be available this late in the draft but he is for now, so we took him with the 214th overall pick. Dale is your typical run-stuffing defensive tackle and has a classic nose tackle build at 6-3 and 300 pounds.
As is typical with interior defensive linemen not named Chris Jones or Aaron Donald, Dale does not have much in terms of raw statistics, but he did record 3 sacks and 10 QB hurries this year for the Crimson Tide. He was very much a rotational player for Alabama but that is to be expected at one of the best programs at the college level.
Dale’s best traits involve his strength and footwork, and he has shown the ability to play with leverage and demand double teams. The Raiders will likely ask him to add some more weight to his frame to help clog up the middle, but he already has the strength necessary to hold up at the next level.
Rushing the passer is not his best trait but that could be coached up to be part of his game. We subscribe to the philosophy that you can never have enough defensive linemen and having a young and hungry player like Dale would be a good boost to this defense.