Jihad Ward Impressing the Oakland Raiders

Many criticized Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie for picking defensive lineman Jihad Ward. They used the words like reach, raw, and project when describing Ward as a prospect. And those were the ones that were trying to be nice to McKenzie when describing his 2nd-round pick.

He with 2.5 sacks in 2015, he wasn’t the most productive defensive lineman in college football. And unless you were only judging hustle and relentlessness, he didn’t stand out on tape either. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he came in at almost 300 pounds and ran a 5-flat 40.

For a 3-technique or a 5 technique, those are outstanding measurables but that’s not what he played in college. He was a 4-3 defensive and at Illinois, which isn’t the greatest match for his skill-set. That easily explains why he wasn’t so productive at the position in 2015.

He actually played receiver at first and has only played defensive line a couple of years explaining his rawness. The word raw often means the player is three years away from contributing. But that doesn’t have to be the case for Ward, who showed at the Senior Bowl, that he can play now.

He abused some of the better offensive line prospects against both the run and pass. And at the same time, he showed that he had an excellent blend of talents to play the 3-technique and 5-technique. That’s what intrigued the Raiders and in OTAs so far, he has confirmed everything.

Rookie defensive end Jihad Ward isn’t a finished product, but it’s plain to see that the University of Illinois-product has the raw ability to be a disruptive force along the defensive line.

According to Raiders.com, he has stood out, constantly “bursting through the offensive line with ease to find himself face to face with the quarterback.” Sure, that could mean he’s a T-shirt-and-shorts Pro Bowler but the coaches love his athleticism and believe in what he’s doing now.

The Raiders have an insane front-7 for 2016 if they are right!