Oakland Raiders: A Few Possible First Round Draft Targets

Haasan Reddick (DE/LB) / Solomon Thomas (DE)

In today’s pass-happy NFL, you can never have too many guys who can get to the quarterback. Pass rushers are most definitely a prized commodity in the league these days.

And while Oakland has a couple of very good ones in Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin, and Mario Edwards Jr., they could certainly use more help getting to the quarterback. Especially given the fact that the defense, as a whole, managed a league low 25 sacks last season.

With the status of Aldon Smith still up in the air and anybody’s guess, McKenzie might be wise to start stocking up for the possibility that he’s not going to be back on the field any time soon – especially, since he can’t seem to manage to keep himself out of trouble.

And that’s where both Reddick and Thomas come in.

Should McKenzie not be impressed with the pickings left on the table when he’s on the clock at number 24, and he isn’t able to find a defensive tackle or inside linebacker to his liking, he should definitely consider either Reddick or Thomas if they’re still on the board.

At 6’3”, 273 lbs. out of Stanford, Thomas is considered the second best defensive end in the Draft. His speed and outstanding technique has caught the eye of many who believe that – although shorter than ideal for the position – he has the power and ability to be a dominant pass rushing force.

At 6’1”, Reddick is shorter in stature than Thomas and most believe that he’ll need to play as an inside linebacker to have success in the NFL since he sometimes struggles against bigger, stronger players and doesn’t set a hard edge.

But the Temple product has outstanding athleticism, quickness, and power as proven by his 21.5 tackles for a loss and 10.5 sacks for the Owls last year. He has the sort of athleticism that could help elevate Oakland’s pass rush and defense as a whole.