Raiders 7-round Mock Draft: QB not the only need filled by Las Vegas

44. Jer'Zhan "Johnny" Newton DT Illinois

After grabbing a quarterback in the first round, the Raiders will look to add a defensive difference maker in the second. In previous mock drafts we were able to grab the massive defensive tackle from Texas, but in this one we happily settled for a much slimmer guy in Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton from Illinois.

We've seen some mock drafts where Newton is selected in the middle of the first round but in this mark, he is still available with the 44th overall pick. Perhaps some of that has to do with a less than stellar combine performance but his production and tape doesn't lie.

Newton measures in at 6-2 and 304lbs which is obviously on the smaller side for a defensive tackle but he does have sufficient bulk to hold up in the middle of a defense. There was also some concern about his arm length has that is in the 30th percentile and his forty time of 4.95 did not blow anyone away.

What will blow you away is his production from the interior as he recorded 43 pressures, 28 hurries, and eight sacks in 2023. He is every bit the modern defensive tackle and if he is paired with hey bulkier player to eat up space in the interior, he could feast as an interior pass rusher. This would be tremendous value for a guy that some had going as high as 10 in previous mocks before the combine.