Raiders 2021 mock draft: Upgrading all levels of the defense

Raiders 2021 mock draft: 3rd pick

To say the Raiders need to upgrade their pass rush substantially might be the understatement of the offseason.

It would not be surprising to see Vegas go after a veteran here, perhaps a high-priced free agent with ties to the defensive coordinator they wind up hiring, but they should double-up in the 2021 NFL Draft and we could see them do that as early as round one.

How desperate is this need?

The Raiders’ sack leader in 2020 was Maxx Crosby, who has been an excellent mid-round pickup for them and is probably their most consistent defensive front seven player. After Crosby, the Raiders’ leader in sacks was linebacker Nicholas Morrow (3.0) followed by Carl Nassib (2.5).

Former first-round pick Clelin Ferrell has been extremely disappointing in terms of sack production with 2.0 sacks in 2020 and just 6.5 sacks in 26 career games overall.

In this scenario, they are able to land a twitchy edge player in Penn State’s Shaka Toney who has the production to go along with the versatility.

Toney’s burst off the edge and overall athletic explosiveness make him an attractive piece for a team that really just needs someone who can make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks on a regular basis.