The Khalil Mack era in Oakland didn’t end smoothly as he was traded away for two first-round picks before the 2018 season. However, he did have a fantastic career with the Raiders before his falling out with the team.
In Mack’s four seasons with the Raiders, he never missed a start and tallied an incredible 61.5 sacks. His best season came in 2016 when he recorded 11 sacks, five forced fumbles and 26 quarterback hits. Mack was named the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year for that season and has made five consecutive Pro Bowls since the 2015 season.
In a recent piece by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he named the top-101 players of the previous decade. And it’s no surprise that Mack found himself inside of the top-20, coming in at No. 17 overall. Here is Monson’s thoughts on the former No. 5 overall pick:
In his first year in the league, Khalil Mack was already one of the best run-defending edge rushers in football; by Year 2, he had become an elite pass-rusher; and in his third season, he became a game-changing wrecking machine. Four of his six seasons in the NFL have earned an overall PFF grade above 90.0, and he has never had a grade lower than 86.0. Only coming into the league in 2014 worked against Mack, who has been among the very best players at any position since he came into the NFL.
It is a shame that Mack wasn’t able to stay with the Raiders, but such is the life of an NFL player. Mack continues to be one of the best defensive players in the NFL and should be a lock to make the Hall of Fame with a few Pro Bowl seasons.
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