The Las Vegas Raiders have been officially eliminated from the 2023 playoffs despite an incredible late-season push. Antonio Pierce has this team on the right track and trending in a positive direction.
But to keep this positive momentum going, the Raiders are going to need to crush the offseason. One spot the Raiders have to address is their interior defensive line. They’ve gotten some really good play from their EDGE rushers this season, but they need more from the defensive tackles.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they named one “perfect” prospect for all 32 teams going into the offseason. For the Raiders, that was defensive tackle Jer’zhan Newton from Illinois. Here is why PFF believes he would make so much sense for Las Vegas:
Raiders could certainly be in the quarterback conversation, but with many of the first-rounders spoken for in this exercise, we instead look to the defense. Just because Newton doesn’t play quarterback doesn’t make him any less perfect for the Raiders, who desperately need a difference-maker on the interior in the run and pass game. Newton is one of the few (maybe only) first-round caliber interior defensive linemen.
The 2024 draft class isn’t the strongest at defensive tackle, but Newton is a bonafide top-15 pick who should be a Day 1 starter. The Raiders are going to have several needs this season, including quarterback and cornerback, but adding a player like Newton does make a ton of sense.
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