Analyzing How Rookie DE Keyron Crawford Fits Raiders' Puzzle

Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders' front office saw firsthand just how bad things can get when a roster lacks talent. The National Football League is filled with the best players; talent and depth disparities are extremely noticeable. Las Vegas' seven wins over the past two seasons are proof.

Watch Keyron Crawford Discuss His First Practices as a Rookie Below

Raiders Plan Ahead

The talent gap between the Raiders and just about every other team in the league has been undeniable. Las Vegas has failed to be competitive in many games over the past three seasons, let alone actually win them. Much of that has been because of a lack of talent.

Las Vegas' lack of talent has not only been among its starters. They have lacked talent among their reserve players, which has made matters worse. Either they have had talented starters and little depth behind them, or subpar starters and subpar players playing behind them. Neither of which is good.

That lack of talent has been most apparent on the offensive and defensive lines, where football games are won and lost. Las Vegas has been dominated along the line of scrimmage, on both sides of the ball. Their lack of talent and depth has been a major focus for the front office this offseason.

One way they addressed it was by adding rookie defensive end Keyron Crawford. He will be added to a list of defensive ends and edge rushers the Raiders have on their roster. Not only is the Raiders' starting defensive line solid, but they have also continued to add talent depth in the unit.

Using a third-round pick on a defensive lineman in Crawford, and using a second pick in the third round on offensive lineman Trey Zuhn, Las Vegas confirmed its commitment to improving in the trenches. Crawford's arrival is a quiet move by the Raiders that should have a positive impact.

Like several of the Raiders' rookies, including No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, Crawford will be given time to develop. Las Vegas' front office has done an impressive job of replenishing its roster with a healthy mix of veterans and rookies. Crawford has tools that Las Vegas hopes to develop.

The first step in that professional development took place during the Raiders' rookie minicamp. Crawford sat out of Saturday's practice. Still, the Raiders' front office is excited about what they saw in their research of Crawford and the player they believe they selected in the third round.

Crawford is another talented player who was added to the Raiders' roster this offseason. More importantly, he is a talented player who was added to a position they were already relatively set at depth-wise.

“I know when Key [Keyron Crawford] was here, he's a big fan of Maxx [Crosby], and he made it known that if we would take him, he would try to replicate Maxx as much as possible. I would encourage Key to be his own person too. I mean, Maxx is Maxx, as we all know. So, they're just two rugged, tough players that really love the game of football,” Spytek said shortly after drafting Crawford.

“Probably similar with Maxx, he obviously wasn't at his ceiling when he got here as a fourth-round pick. And I'm not comparing - I said it last night, comparison is the thief of joy - but we're excited about just the rugged toughness and the passion with which Key attacks the game of football."

“I think that will resonate in our D-line room and our defensive meeting room in general. I think when you find guys like that, and they have a high ceiling that they haven't reached it, they start to climb that ladder pretty quick."

Crawford's arrival also prepares the Raiders for the near future, when they could lose multiple defensive ends in free agency.

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