Oakland Raiders: 3 Reasons To Be Excited, 3 Reasons To Be Worried
By Kevin Saito
Dec 7, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52), defensive tackle Antonio Smith (94) and defensive end Justin Tuck (91) sack San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Raiders defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Reason To Be Concerned #2 – Pressuring Opposing QB’s
The one thing the Raiders did not do this offseason was add a proven edge rusher – and they clearly needed one. As a team, Oakland notched a mere 22 sacks in 2014 – with only seven of those coming from their defensive ends.
The lack of pressure allowed opposing QB’s to sit back in the pocket all day and pick apart the Raider defense last season. Even second tier QB’s like Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick were able to have very successful days against the Raiders’ defense simply because they had the time to do it.
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That is one reason some of the talking heads in the media, as well as some fans, were very disappointed that Oakland passed on Leonard Williams with the fourth overall pick. The conventional wisdom was that Williams would immediately make the pass rush more fierce, and paired with Mack, would potentially give the Raiders one of the most intimidating – and productive – pass rushes in the NFL.
With Mack expected to take more snaps on the edge, along with the addition of both Edwards and Valles – who will be converted to a defensive end – the Raiders are gambling on their pass rush getting a boost.
Valles is an intriguing prospect who has a pretty solid track record of being able to put some pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. He finished 2014 at Virginia with nine sacks, and 12.5 tackles for a loss. At 6’5”, 240 lbs., he has the size you want in an end, but he also has the quickness as well. Taking him and converting him to an end could be a very shrewd move that turns out to pay huge dividends for McKenzie and Del Rio.
There are some concerns about Edwards though. Selecting him as high as they did, especially when there were more proven pass rushers like Preston Smith and Nate Orchard still on the board, seemed like a big time reach. There are questions not just about his ability to play the position, but about his desire as well. Still, Sal Sunseri, who coached Edwards at Florida State knows him well, and sees something in him that well translate to the NFL. Sunseri believes that Edwards is going to make a good addition to this defense – and apparently made believers out of McKenzie and Del Rio as well.
Time will tell how they will pan out. They could turn out to be great. The Oakland faithful are hoping they do. But until we start seeing a positive return on investment – in the form of quarterbacks on the ground – this has to be an area of concern heading into the season.
Next: Reason to Be Excited #2