It’s hardly surprising that Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has been busy visiting a few pro days lately, given that the NFL Draft is just over a month away. While all 32 teams were represented when Pierce was photographed at the University of Miami on Monday, Mike Cugno of CBS Miami reported that Pierce was the sole head coach in South Beach.
Now, let’s see who the AP was probably keeping a careful eye on..
DT Leonard Taylor III
As of right now, the third round draft projection (using the NFL Mock Draft Database) places 99th overall.
Although the Raiders have re-signed or signed a couple of defensive tackles in free agency, both Adam Butler and John Jenkins are in their 30s and only have one-year contracts. Therefore, the organization may yet decide to invest a mid-round pick in Taylor in order to help him advance.
Although the former Hurricane’s collegiate stats weren’t very remarkable, he has pass-rush potential. Only first-round pick Calijah Kancey had a higher pass-rush win percentage (16.2%) among ACC defensive tackles in 2022 than he did, according to Pro Football Focus. With a win percentage of 14.7 percent in the previous season, which ranked sixth in the league at the position, Taylor was nearly as effective as ever.
iOL Javion Cohen
The offensive line is Las Vegas’s most pressing need after the quarterback position. They need depth everywhere and don’t currently have a starting right guard or tackle, so Cohen might be an early Day 3 choice.
He played strong pass protection at Miami and Alabama, giving up just 19 pressures (one sack) on 767 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF. His pass-blocking grade from the previous season was 75.8, which placed him 11th among ACC guards, and 80.8, which placed him sixth among SEC guards.
S/LB James Williams
Currently projected to rank 147th in the 5th round of the NFL Mock Draft Database.
Patrick Graham, the defensive coordinator, is well-known for favoring players that combine the skills of a safety and a linebacker, and for frequently utilizing three-safety combinations. Williams is exactly that; according to PFF, he has 645 career snaps in the box and 753 as a deep safety. In addition, he gained even more experience in the Senior Bowl as a linebacker.
Last season, Williams, who lined up primarily as a strong safety, led the ACC position group in coverage with an excellent 85.6 PFF rating. That was mostly because they gave up a reception every 23.5 covering snaps and allowed a 56.7 completion percentage when targeted.
Leave a Reply