Why Eddie Vanderdoes is the perfect fit for The Oakland Raiders
As Hall of Famer Willie Brown made his way to the podium and Raider Nation was more than ready to hear the name of their newest member to the Raiders family.
The Oakland Raiders selected defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes with the 88th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. To the causal Raider fans the pick could leave them scratching their heads.
Draft expert Mike Mayock gave his take on Vanderdoes after the selection:
"He came off a torn ACL two years ago. I didn’t think he played well at all during the regular season. Thought he was heavy, out of shape and couldn’t finish plays. Then he should up at the Senior Bowl, looked like a different dude. All of a sudden there’s quickness and explosion, so during the season we saw one Vanderdoes and at the Senior Bowl we saw a completely different guy. Whom was one of the most recruited guys in high school football."
Oakland in desperate need of help on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the defensive line, Vanderdoes helps in more ways than one. The 6 foot, 302 pound D-linemen has weight issues and a 2015 ACL tear could be to blame for his weight gain. He is also raw and has to develop his technique.
After watching some of his UCLA game film one thing stands out. He gets into the backfield and getting into the backfield is not something The Raiders do often. In 2014, he was disruptive and he was a nuance for the offensive lines he faced in the PAC-12. During his career at UCLA Vanderdoes bullied his way past linemen but he needs to locate the ball better in the NFL.
He can be seen flying into the backfield and right out of plays. The coaching staff in Oakland will be able to fix that problem.
2016 was not a great year for the Oakland’s defensive line. The Raiders lost defensive tackle Stacy McGee to free agency, then cut veteran Dan Williams. Mario Edwards Jr. missing the most of the 2016 season, he is still unproven but has potential.
That leaves Justin Ellis, Darius Latham, Jihad Ward, Denico Autry are all on the roster for camp and none of them strike fear into interior linemen’s game plan. With Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin the only proven pass rushers.
Vanderdoes is versatile also which makes him even more of a threat. He can be a 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE. His pass rush skills can help the rest of the defense.
D-linemen set the tone for the whole defense and Eddie Vanderdoes can be the foundation to get the Raiders defense to championship level. Vanderdoes could be the last piece for The Raiders to be an elite team in the NFL.