One of the biggest moves the Raiders have already made this offseason was retaining defensive line coach Rod Marinelli. While he did not have a ton of success as the interim defensive coordinator, he is still one of the best “teachers” on the defensive line. His ability to coach up talent is what makes him a special coach.
Marinelli is at his best when he can take big, athletic defensive linemen and turn them into studs. That is why the idea of potentially selecting Gregory Rousseau from Miami has to be intriguing for Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden.
At 6’6, 255 pounds, Rosseau is a stud athlete who has recently converted from wide receiver to edge rusher. His rawness showed in 2019 as he far from a refined player. But he was still able to be highly productive for the Hurricanes.
In a recent mock draft by Jordan Reid of The Draft Network, Rousseau was the selection for the Raiders at pick No. 17. Here is what he had to say about the possible pairing in the first round:
“As far as ceilings go, Rousseau has one of the highest of any prospect in this draft class. The team that selects him will have to use their imagination a bit with him, though, as he’s a player that’s still not nearly the sum of his parts. Still figuring out the details and nuances of the position, in only his second season playing defensive end (2019), he recorded 19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. In need of a consistent edge rusher, Rousseau would be a welcomed addition to the team.”
The Raiders need to improve their secondary this offseason, but a talent like Rousseau falling to them in the middle of the first round might be too good to pass up. If Marinelli could work his magic here, it wouldn’t be a shock if Rousseau quickly became one of the league’s best edge rushers with his combination of speed, length and quickness.
Keep an eye on Rousseau as a possible pick for the Raiders in Round 1 given their need to find pass rushers this offseason.
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