Raiders 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Shocking Day 1 trade throws first round into frenzy
Defensive tackle has been heavily addressed by the Raiders in free agency but you can never have too much talent on the defensive line. At this point in the draft you are not getting blue chippers but instead are looking for diamonds in the rough or players who can immediately step into the rotation.
So with the 194th overall pick, we select defensive tackle Khristian Boyd out of Northern Iowa.
Boyd is a classic 3-technique defensive tackle who measures in at 6-4 and 317 lbs. He did not participate in the NFL Combine so we are relying on some older athletic data but his last forty time of 5.10 is about what you would expect for a guy this big. Where he stands out is on the bench press as he put up 38 reps at his pro day which is in the 99th percentile for the position.
He has a strong and dense frame and can anchor against offensive lineman to absorb double teams. He played both 3 technique and 0 technique in college and could do the same at the pro level if asked to. Boyd does have a shorter wingspan than you would like which could work against him but if he is simply asked to eat up space and provide a push up the middle then his frame and impressive strength should be more than enough to do so.
Line him up next to Christian Wilkins as a space eater and let the stars wreak havoc on opposing offenses.