Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Jalen Redmond, Oklahoma
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The Las Vegas Raiders are in rebuilding mode, and while they haven’t made big moves on the defensive front, they are expected to do so in the 2023 NFL Draft.
An area where the Raiders find themselves needing a huge upgrade for the next season is the interior of the defensive line.
“The defenses are different. There's more complex, I'd say, defensive schematic game at the NFL level. And so, again, that goes just into someone's ability to learn, someone's work ethic, and did they have the tools both from a personal and a mental skill set to put the work in to learn it,” said Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler during the combine.
Defensive Tackle Jalen Redmond, Oklahoma Sooners
“After switching to a three-technique in an even front, his skillset starts to come through. Strong enough to two-gap. Fairly quick off the ball with the athleticism to run as a looper and get home on twists,” said NFL Draft Bible on Redmond.
Last season as a senior for the Sooners, Redmond played in 12 games, starting in eight and logging a total of 430 snaps, primarily in the B Gap (230).
During his senior season, he registered 23 total tackles (10 solo), 10 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, and four sacks.
The 6-3 292-pound defensive lineman has the athleticism to beat linemen with agility and quickness and showed that skill set during the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
At the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Redmond ran a 4.81 on the 40-yard dash (second-fastest among DTs) and recorded a 1.71 on the 10-yard split, but on the short end with 27 reps on the bench press.
Strength is his biggest weakness; for a player nearly 300 pounds, it is expected to move players around and split double teams.
This is not the case for Redmond, but fortunately for him, working out with an NFL trainer and participating in a couple of camps, he should be able to adjust to the NFL game.
“Little to no penetration as a true pass rusher. Cannot split double teams or hold up at the point of attack when deployed as a true nose. Can tell he's uncomfortable in his zone read awareness when kicked out to the exterior,” added Draft Bible.
The Raiders could add depth by drafting Redmond with one of their three fifth-round picks in this year’s draft and give him an opportunity to develop into a rotational player, even a starter.
The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., ending with rounds five to seven on Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.
March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. Starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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