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Oakland Raiders Depth Chart Surprises

By Carl Cockerham

May 13, 2016; Alameda, CA, USA; General view of the Oakland Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
May 13, 2016; Alameda, CA, USA; General view of the Oakland Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 29, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans running back David Cobb (23) is tackled by Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Justin Ellis (78) after a short gain during the second half at Nissan Stadium. The Raiders won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans running back David Cobb (23) is tackled by Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Justin Ellis (78) after a short gain during the second half at Nissan Stadium. The Raiders won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Nose Tackle

The Raiders started running more 3-4 looks last year and will continue to do so here in 2016. A good part of why were able to is because the acquisition of nose tackle Dan Williams. Williams has been looked at as one of the top nose tackles in the NFL throughout is career.

Last year, he was a Top-15 interior defensive lineman according to Pro Football Focus. Also according to the analytics site, he was graded out as the No. 9 interior d-lineman against the run. But right now, Justin Ellis, the No. 53 rated interior d-lineman, is the guy.

Ellis is a 2014 fourth-round pick that could be developing but not to the point where he’s already better than Williams. Word on the Raider Nation streets is that Williams has been temporarily demoted because he reported to camp a little out of shape and/or overweight.

The surprising part of this isn’t that Williams was demoted for reporting out of shape, it’s that he reported out of shape. You would think a player that had all that talent put around him on defense would be excited and show up to training camp in the best shape of his life.

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