The Raiders’ 10 best NFL Draft prospect fits at defensive end: Edge rusher should be a Day 2 priority
By Tashan Reed 2h ago
The signing of defensive end
Yannick Ngakoue to a two-year, $26 million contract last month made it so that edge rusher was no longer the
Raiders’ top priority going into the
NFL Draft. It’s not that their pass rush is amazing now —
Maxx Crosby,
Clelin Ferrell and
Carl Nassib all need to improve — but there are more pertinent needs elsewhere.
This isn’t a great class of defensive ends, anyway, and there aren’t huge gaps between the Day 1 and Day 2 prospects. There is no can’t-miss first-round prospect, so Las Vegas would be better off waiting until Day 2 to draft an edge rusher, especially considering there isn’t a path for a rookie to play that many significant reps barring multiple injuries.
The Raiders have three Day 2 picks: Nos. 48, 79 and 80. They should take a defensive end with one of those or package two of them to move up in a trade. The class gets pretty thin after the third round, though, so they should draft one before Day 2 ends. Here are the 10 best prospect fits at defensive end who may come off the board in that range:
1. Gregory Rousseau (6-foot-7, 265 pounds), Miami
Rousseau had an insanely productive season in 2019 with 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, but the issue is teams don’t have much else to go on. He played only one game in 2018 and opted out of the 2020 season. It’s a bit of a risk to draft him in the first round based on one year of dated game film, which is why he could slide into the second round.
“A super-long athlete, Rousseau keeps his momentum going downhill with violent hands and easy acceleration, helping him to quickly disengage from blocks,”
The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler
wrote last month. “He is an intelligent player and can talk the talk when it comes to breaking down pass-rush execution, but he is upright and overly reliant on speed/length and needs to improve his anchor, technique and diagnose skills. Overall, Rousseau is a faith-based projection with clear bust potential because he is still learning how to be impactful from snap to snap, but his natural instincts and traits (length, frame, athleticism) give him a Chandler Jones-type of ceiling.”
Rousseau has great size, which allowed him to play inside on passing downs in 2019. That versatility, plus his ability as a pure pass rusher off the edge, make him a potential steal on Day 2. I don’t see him falling to No. 48, though, so the Raiders would probably need to trade up into the 30s to grab him.
2. Carlos Basham Jr. (6-3, 281), Wake Forest
Basham is a surer bet than Rousseau as a three-year college starter who registered five sacks in six games in 2020. He also may still be on the board at No. 48, so the Raiders could get him without swinging any trades. But he probably doesn’t have as much upside despite being a highly productive player who compiled 19.5 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss in four years.
“While he can be slowed, Basham is rarely controlled due to his active play style, power and hustle, which directly leads to production,” Brugler wrote. “His hands have some pop, but his stiff hips show when trying to bend the corner and he must develop his pass-rush sequence. Overall, Basham needs to become a more creative pass rusher, but his size, explosiveness and effort are above average and allow him to rush from different alignments. He projects similarly to the Texans’ Charles Omenihu as a starting base end with scheme versatility.”
Basham has inside-outside versatility and would be a nice alternative option to Ferrell at strong-side defensive end. He’s physically strong and was an active run defender on his way to racking up 173 tackles in his college career. He won’t wow anyone as a pass rusher, but he’s an edge setter who can still create havoc along the defensive line.
3. Joe Tryon (6-4, 263), Washington
Tryon is another player who opted out in 2020 and had his only starting season come in 2019. He posted a nice stat line of 8.0 sacks and 12.5 TFL that year as a hybrid edge rusher who lined up at traditional end and outside linebacker.
“Tryon looks straight out of central casting with his frame, length and athleticism and he doesn’t stray from his competitive edge,” Brugler wrote. “While eager to initiate contact, he needs to do a better job setting up and eluding blockers while also maturing his anticipation and arsenal of moves (needs to play more with his mind and not just his heart). Overall, Tryon is still a work in progress, but he owns the tools to streamline his pass-rush skills with added coaching. He projects as a future NFL starter similar to Marcus Davenport when he was coming out of college.”
Tryon is largely a speed rusher at this point, but the same thing was said about Crosby coming out of college and he’s registered 17 sacks in two seasons. Tryon would be a nice third-down rusher behind Ngakoue and Crosby in Year 1 who could mature into an every-down starter one day.
4. Joseph Ossai (6-3, 255), Texas
I’m not certain how the Raiders feel about players who opted out, but if it’s an issue, they could prefer Ossai over Tryon. He was a two-year starter in college and recorded 10.5 sacks and 29 TFL during that span. He stood up as an edge rusher in a 4-2-5 scheme, so it wouldn’t be a huge adjustment to slide into the Leo role (weak-side defensive end) with the Raiders.
“An impressive pursuit player, Ossai is consistently around the football and makes plays that he has no business making due to his play speed and hustle,” Brugler wrote. “While he plays quick, he wins more with effort than explosion and his body stiffness hinders his ability to win at the top of his rush. Overall, Ossai is a linear athlete who lacks fluidity in his rush or redirect, but his foot is always on the gas with the compete skills and locked-in effort that helps mask some of his issues. He projects as a physical 3-4 edge defender.”
Ossai has the size of an edge rusher, but that’d clearly be an inaccurate way to describe his game. That may become an issue at the next level against bigger and more physical offensive linemen, but there’d be no immediate pressure on him to play major snaps. He could spend his rookie year learning and putting on more weight before stepping into a larger role in Year 2.
5. Payton Turner (6-5, 270), Houston
Someone who doesn’t have a size issue is Turner, who has one of the most impressive physical profiles among the edge rusher class. He didn’t flash much as a three-year starter until 2020 when he finished with 5.0 sacks and 10.5 TFL in just five games. He wasn’t much of a difference-maker before then, so it’s almost certain that he’ll be on the board well into the second round, but he’s the type of player you draft there based on potential.
“Turner is among the best effort players in this draft class who uses his long strides and speed to chase down ball carriers,” Brugler wrote. “He is a high-cut rusher and battles balance issues vs. leveraged power, but he does a great job keeping his hands and feet in lockstep to attack and work off blocks. Overall, Turner needs to cultivate his pass-rush sequence, but he has outstanding length, foot quickness and competitive energy. He projects as an eventual NFL starter with inside/outside versatility.”
Turner will probably be a better pro than he was a college player. He’d back up Ferrell at strong-side end in Year 1 and could start eating into starter snaps in the years to come if he stays healthy and develops properly.