Khalil Mack drawing comparisons to Lawrence Taylor

August 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) during the second quarter in a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

How to use him

Many soured on Mack last year because as dominant as he was with pressures and tackles for losses, he only had four sacks. But the way he was used last year wasn’t conducive to making a lot of sacks. He was a 4-3 outside linebacker on a team that blitzed less than any team in the NFL so he only rushed on passing downs.

So this year, he was moved to 4-3 defensive end so he can get more opportunities to rush the passer. But playing there, he was double-teamed by the guards and chipped by running backs. When you know where a player is coming from every down and what he’s going to do, it’s easy to game-plan for him.

So the start of the season was just like the start of last year as far as not being able to sack the quarterback. Then on top of that, playing defensive end took his all-around game away from him. So for the third game of the season, the Mack was moved to 3-4 outside linebacker, the position he played in college.

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