Raiders 2023 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas trades down on Day 1, still get franchise QB

Raiders 2023 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas trades down on Day 1

15 Calijah Kancey DL | Pittsburgh

As we noted in the previous slide, the Raiders traded down with the Green Bay Packers and instead of picking 7th, they select in the 15th overall slot. This ends the chances of them grabbing one of the top quarterbacks in the draft and we can instead focus on one of the better defenders in defensive lineman Calijah Kancey out of Pittsburgh.

Kancey does not look like your typical defensive tackle as he is only 6-1 and 281lbs but because of his build and the school he went to, he is being compared to one of the deep best defensive players of all time in Aaron Donald. What he does similar to Donald is attack the quarterback and in his past two seasons, he has racked up 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss.

The former Panther fills an immediate need as a pass-rushing defensive tackle and he could pair nicely with the recently acquired John Jenkins who is a run-stuffing tackle.

If the Raiders can look past some of the size concerns then grabbing Kancey with the 15th overall pick could help transform their defense into an elite pass rushing unit. He won a ton of awards in his final season and he will bring an elite mentality and incredible talent to a defensive unit that certainly needs both.