Mario Edwards Jr. Could be the Steal of the Draft

Nov 30, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams left tackle Greg Robinson (79) defends against Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What the Raiders do With Him

Many were up in arms about picking Edwards Jr. at the top of the second round, assuming he’s an edge-rusher. They looked at his numbers, evaluated him as an edge-rusher and it’s not good. Based on that, I don’t blame them but that’s not even where he’s going to play with the Raiders.

He may play some end but the Leo position will be manned by Khalil Mack, who has bulked up for the role. In the Raider defense, the Leo position is a DE/OLB hybrid while the elephant, Edwards Jr., is a DT/DE hybrid. Edwards Jr. telling Raiders.com, “Talking to the [Raiders] staff, they like me at the 280-285 weight range.” to give that away.

He’ll be a little of everywhere but 3-TECH is going to be where he’s going to take the most snaps. Looking at his college tape, he was at his best playing the 3-TECH and where he played the least. With the athleticism he has at 285, we’re going to see what he can by guards the way Aaron Donald, who’s similar in stature, did.

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