Oakland Raiders: Five Late Round Prospects the Team Should Target

Aug 30, 2014; Laramie, WY, USA; Wyoming Cowboys running back S Wick (21) runs against Montana Grizzlies defensive end Zack Wagenmann (37) during the fourth quarter at War Memorial Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Grizzlies 17-12. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Zack Wagenmann, DE, Montana

Zack Wagenmann hails from Montana and played for the Montana Grizzlies out of the Big Sky Conference. He is a three time All-Conference player, and in 2014 was voted Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Sky.

Wagenmann, a stout defensive end, stands 6’3″, and weighs in at 250 pounds. He ran a 4.82 40 and while he original benched 14 reps at the combine was able to increase that number to 16 at Montana’s Pro Day. He was the combine’s top performer for defensive ends in four events — the vertical jump, three cone drill, 20 yard shuttle, and 60 yard shuttle.

It was quite an impressive performance and showed that not all of the most dominant players at the combine came from big programs.

Playing for the Grizzlies this year, he was able to rack up 13.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for a loss. Over the course of his career, he has notched 37 sacks and 52 career tackles for loss. He was a finalist for the Buck Buchannan award, which is given to the best defensive player in the Division 1 Football subdivision.

Wagenmann has a never-ending motor. On every play, his feet are always moving. He has a knack of getting to the QB and will pursue the ball carrier even if they are on the other side of the field. He is also pretty fast for his size — as a means of comparison, All-Pro DE J.J. Watt ran a 4.84 out of college.

While Wagenmann is not even close to the player Watt is, he does have the intangibles that dictate a solid DE. He faced constant double teams from opposing schools, but was still able to get to the QB for those 13.5 sacks. He was a dominant force on the Grizzlies D-Line and any team drafting him would be getting a strong player who is always moving and works to finish the play.

Wagenmann would be a perfect fit with the Raiders. He could slide into the left defensive end position, opposite of Justin Tuck and learn from the star veteran. Tuck has been a great leader and would provide a great mentoring presence for Wagenmann.

He could then step into Tuck’s role and prove that even though he played in the FCS, he can still compete in the NFL. He is a downhill runner and could provide the Raiders with another bruiser along their defensive line.

The one knock on Wagemann though, is that he has yet to play against elite competition. As this is the problem with every small school player, given the lack of elite competition in their conferences, it is hard to gauge how he will fare.

Regardless, Wagemann would be a fantastic late round steal for the Raiders. He should provide Oakland with great value and another young piece on their already budding defense.

Next: WR:Darren Waller