Las Vegas Raiders full 2021 NFL mock draft
28. Scouting Report. NC State. Alim McNeill. player. Pick Analysis. Defensive tackle. 48
The Raiders must find a way to improve their pass rush next season. That doesn’t necessarily need to come from the edge. Landing a massive tackle like McNeill in Round 2 could help Las Vegas collapse the pocket from the inside.
He’s a unicorn as a prospect in the sense that he’s big enough to be a pure nose tackle but also shows the burst required to be an above-average pass rusher. That kind of interior lineman can cover up a lot of deficiencies up front for Bradley’s defense.
Some scouts view Round 2 as too early to select McNeill because of his lack of polish as a defensive lineman. That ignores the exceptional nature of his athletic gifts. The Raiders should look past any short-term concerns about McNeill’s technique while focusing in on his massive upside as a player.
The Raiders could elect to focus on more pressing positional needs in Round 2, but they need to prioritize finding potential difference-makers over everything else. McNeill has star potential and that’s a rarity for a draft pick in the late 40s.