Las Vegas Raiders early 2021 NFL mock draft: Getting QB of the future

We briefly discussed that the Las Vegas Raiders brought in Maliek Collins to help out the defensive line that also features Johnathan Hankins. Maurice Hurst had some promising upside as a late-round selection in the 2018 draft but has only played in 14 games so far in his young career.

Is that enough? Not really. Plugging in Hankins and Collins is more of a short term stopgap than anything else. Finding an influx of young talent on the interior defensive line will be a priority in the offseason.

The good news is that the 2021 NFL Draft will have good depth at the defensive tackle position. There are a couple of very good players at the top and plenty who can contribute from day one drafted in the second and third rounds. One of those players is USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele.

Tufele recently declared for the 2021 draft, and it’s not hard to see why. He should fit right in as a three-technique at the next level. Tufele is a good athlete for the position and will be able to attack gaps. He’s got good explosiveness out of his stance, and the quickness to win around offensive linemen. Building consistency on all three downs will be important for Tufele, but the potential is sky-high.