Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Post-Super Bowl LVII edition
Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Post-Super Bowl LVII edition
38. Felix Anudike-Uzomah EDGE Kansas State
The Raiders continue the defensive rebuild by addressing a position of need on the defensive line specifically the defensive end position, by grabbing Felix Anudike-Uzomah out of Kansas State. Some mock draft sites have Anudike-Uzomah as the third-rated defensive end behind Myles Murphy and BJ Ojulari so grabbing him in the second round would be a steal for the Raiders.
Anudike-Uzomah has everything that you look for in a pass rusher as he has a solid build at 6-4 and 255 pounds and has solid athletic traits as well. He could stand to improve his current forty time of 4.73 seconds but that did not stop him from having an incredibly productive college career.
After a freshman year where he was just a bit part player, Anudike-Uzomah came on strong as a sophomore and recorded 13 sacks and 43 total pressures for the Wildcats. His junior season was just as impressive as he increased his snap count and total tackles, but his sack total dropped just a bit to 8 sacks on the season.
Similar to Chandler Jones, Anudike-Uzomah is incredibly strong for his position and has the power to hold up at the point of attack as a run defender. Even with Jones’s struggles as a pass rusher last season, he was still very good against the run and that undoubtedly helped keep him in the lineup along with his massive contract.
The concern around Anudike-Uzomah is a need to improve his burst off the snap and the use of his hands as a pass rusher. The burst off the snap is a physical issue that can be worked on with an NFL strength training program and the improved technique can come from learning from one of the best to ever do it in Jones.
Anudike-Uzomah has the makings of a cornerstone piece for this defense and we could see him and Maxx Crosby terrorizing quarterbacks together for the next decade.