Fansided

5 players Las Vegas Raiders should draft in the first round

By Rucker Haringey

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 19: Defensive back Caleb Farley #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies attempts to tackle wide receiver Beau Corrales #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels following his reception in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 19: Defensive back Caleb Farley #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies attempts to tackle wide receiver Beau Corrales #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels following his reception in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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Raiders mock draft, Gregory Rousseau
Gregory Rousseau of the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

2. Gregory Rousseau

Adding Rousseau would give the Raiders’ front line a much-needed boost of confidence and athleticism in 2021. Like Oweh, he isn’t the most experienced edge rusher in this class, but he still managed to be super productive during his 2019 season at Miami.

Guys who rack up 15.5 sacks in the ACC don’t do so by accident. Rousseau is an exceptional athlete who also possesses outstanding size for his position. He’s got every physical characteristic required to notch double-digit sacks at the professional level. He might not fulfill his full potential as a rookie, but that shouldn’t stop the Raiders from drafting him.

The simple way to describe Rousseau’s potential role in Las Vegas is that he might give Gruden’s defense everything Clelin Ferrell was supposed to give them when he was drafted back in 2019. Rousseau is a big edge rusher with the speed to blitz from the outside and the size to set the edge against the run. There’s a chance he’ll move inside to rush the passer on obvious throw downs, but that’s only going to increase his potential value.

Rousseau might be higher on this list if he hadn’t opted out of the 2020 season for the Hurricanes, but his talent is still too large for teams to ignore. He’d be great value for the Raiders at No. 17.

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