Oakland Raiders: Surprise OTA standout shouldn’t be all that surprising

The Oakland Raiders have a number of players making a splash ahead of camp – though one player listed as a “surprise” standout really shouldn’t be.

The Oakland Raiders have wrapped up their OTA’s and now have some time off to prepare themselves before the start of training camp in late July – Jon Gruden and company are no doubt, hoping the players can keep themselves out of trouble between now and then.

So far, the offseason work has yielded some productive results – and one practice field skirmish between Fadol Brown and Brandon Parker. It was a skirmish that displeased Gruden and saw Parker sent to the showers early.

Some of the storylines have been promising – such as the potential revival of Doug Martin, who, so far, has looked solid, according to multiple reports. So much so, that some believe Martin may help take a larger load off of Marshawn Lynch‘s shoulders than previously thought.

Stay tuned for that one though – the Raiders have been down this road with aging and previously ineffective running backs before.

But, from Erik Harris, to Kolton Miller, to Gareon Conley, the Raiders have seen their share of standout play through this early portion of the offseason work.

Some players are stepping up and standing out, while others – like say, Obi Melifonwu – are bringing up the rear, and may find it a little tougher to crack that final 53-man roster.

Now that we’re on that break between OTA’s and training camp though, there isn’t a lot of news to talk about. Which gives writers some time to reflect, share their experiences and thoughts, and make some projections for the coming season.

In that vein, ESPN recently published a piece that laid out the most “surprising” standout from each team’s OTA sessions. And Raiders beat writer Paul Guttierez chipped in with this thoughts on Maurice Hurst, whom he tabbed as Oakland’s most surprising standout during OTA’s.

What’s most surprising about Gutierrez’s pick though, is that apparently, he was actually surprised enough to label Hurst as Oakland’s most surprising standout.

Said Gutierrez..

"Sure, Hurst was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2018 draft, but a heart condition that got him sent home from the combine scared off enough teams that the first-round talent fell to the Raiders in the fifth round. Hurst has been more than a pleasant surprise for Oakland in that he is running with the first-team defense in its 4-3 base at left defensive tackle (last year’s starter, Eddie Vanderdoes, is rehabbing from a torn ACL) and has starred in the offseason. Beating All-Pro Kelechi Osemele when he flipped sides not only opened the eyes of the coaches, but also got the attention of Osemele, who gave the rookie the, ahem, business."

Gutierrez acknowledges that PFF had Hurst ranked as the third-best prospect in the Draft, and that he has first-round talent.

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So – what exactly is so surprising about a guy with first-round talent, showing during OTA’s that he does indeed, have first-round talent again?

What’s most surprising is that so many team’s passed on Hurst when he’s been cleared seven ways from Sunday by multiple medical professionals – including doctors from Michigan and Harvard.

What’s most surprising is that Hurst slid all the way to the fifth-round of the Draft in the first place.

What’s not surprising is that Hurst is showing off first-round talent, given that he was one of the most dominant interior linemen in all of college football.

Surely, Erik Harris’ performance is a bigger surprise than Hurst? Surely, after a couple of really down years, Doug Martin‘s performance thus far, has to be a bigger surprise than Hurst?

Surely, there had to be a bigger surprise than Maurice Hurst playing like the first-rounder he should have been?

Surprise or not though (and spoiler alert – it’s really not) the fact that Hurst is out there playing well, and earning the respect of linemen like Kelechi Osemele, can only bode well for this Raiders team who desperately need a strong, consistent interior pass rush.

It’s been ages since the Raiders have had dominant play along the interior of their defensive line. It’s allowed running backs to scamper free for big gains, and quarterbacks to sit back in the pocket and pick apart the secondary.

Oakland’s lack of teeth along the interior of that line is a big reason this defense has ranked at or near the bottom of the league in most important statistical categories for a number of years now.

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Perhaps, though, the Autumn Wind of change is blowing in the East Bay. Maybe, this is the year Oakland finally gets some dominant play along the line to give All-World Everything, Khalil Mack, a much needed, and long overdue hand.

Freeing up Mack to do his thing by forcing offensive lines to account for Oakland’s interior linemen, could help take this defense from laughingstock to feared and respected.