With The First Pick
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Oakland Raiders Mock Draft: Fixing the Defense

By Carl Cockerham

Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Rams fan Tyler Funneman (left) and Oakland Raiders fans Anna Cornwell (middle) and Jesse Cornwell cheer at DraftTown in Grant Park before the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Rams fan Tyler Funneman (left) and Oakland Raiders fans Anna Cornwell (middle) and Jesse Cornwell cheer at DraftTown in Grant Park before the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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January 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (96) celebrates a defensive play against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half of the 2017 Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (96) celebrates a defensive play against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half of the 2017 Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

USC. Stevie Tu’ikolovatu. 5. player. 28. At 6’1″, 331 pounds, Stevie Tu’ikolovatu was built to do one thing and one thing only—stuff the run. And according to Pro Football focus, he’s good at it, ranked No. 3 in the nation in run stuff percentage. NFL teams generally don’t like to draft 2-down run stuffers with high picks in the draft. <p>But every team that’s good at stopping the run has one so Tu’ikolovatu is available right here in the fifth round. Built low to the ground with a powerful hand punch, Tu’ikolovatu can easily stand opposing O-linemen up. Add his hand placement to the equation and he consistently wins at the point of attack.</p> <p>He gets off the ball quickly for a man his size to gain the advantage and drive O-linemen back. From there, he simply tosses his man to the side and makes the tackle in the backfield. Tu’ikolovatu will be 26 by the start of this coming season so his man strength is already there.</p> <p>There’s no way you can run at Tu’ikolovatu without at least double-teaming him so he keeps his LBs clean. Riley and Jelani Jenkins would be free to run around to make plays with Tu’ikolovatu in front of them. And the Raiders would immensely improve against the run, forcing 3rd-and-longs.</p>. NT

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