Raiders 7-round Mock Draft: QB arrives, massive Day 2 trade and more

At this point in the NFL Draft, we are looking for players with high athletic upside but may have other concerns on or off the field. In the case of edge rusher Eric Watts out of UConn, he has tremendous physical tools and athleticism but scouts are concerned that he might be too stiff to fully utilize those tools.

This is where coaching can come in as they can take a raw physical prospect and help them with their technique so they can get the most from their natural ability.

Watts measures in at a hulking 6-6 and 275lbs and he has long arms and a wingspan at the 99tth percentile for his position. In addition to being built like a prototype edge rusher, Watts put up a great performance at the combine with a 4.67 40 and 36.5 inch vertical which are 90th percentile or better. Where he struggled was the shuttle drill which is emblematic of his issues with stiffness despite being a great “straight-line” athlete.

If the Raiders are able to harness some of that raw ability while improving his technical ability we could end up with a great hidden gem in the draft. He would have the benefit of learning from Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce and could be brought in to the defensive line rotation to simply cause havoc with this aggression and athleticism.

You can never have too much speed and athleticism in a modern defensive line and Watts brings plenty of both.