Pitt Panther DT Calijah Kancey, "I'd Love to be a Raider"
HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders desperately need players that fit the system that Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels want to implement.
Josh McDaniels said recently at the NFL Combine that when you are looking for new players, "We can't build a tough, smart football team without getting tough, smart players. So those things are kind of, you know, at the highest end of the spectrum for me."
The Raiders' most prominent issue is QB, but on the defensive side of the ball, they need playmakers at every position. None greater than DT.
Calijah Kancey is a young man on every NFL team's radar.
Coming off of a torn labrum, many NFL teams didn't expect him to compete at the NFL Combine. He ignored the advice and did it anyways. He blew up the event with his performance and instantly surged upward.
One NFC scout texted me that evening, "Pat's (Narduzzi) young man made a sh*t load of money."
The Panthers DT broke the 40-yard dash record of Aaron Donald when he blew scouts away, running a lightning-quick 4.67. You didn't misread that.
Kancey plays like Maxx Crosby both in games and in practice.
His high motor constantly keeps him coming. Some would point out that he is undersized for the prototypical DT, but that doesn't tell the story.
He is 6-foot-1, 281 pounds, but he is a disruptor. More than one NFL Scout and Executive told me, "He is John Randle 2.0, and he is a disruptor about an inch or two taller and never stops."
That is high praise for the Panther, and it is the same way people discuss Maxx Crosby.
Pittsburgh Panther Coach Pat Narduzzi, a long-time friend and one of the best coaches in college football, told me, "There is nothing not to like about Calijah. I love him, but not just as a player. He is everything you want in a player, a son, anything. He is one of the finest people and players I have ever coached. I love him."
That may sound like hyperbole from Narduzzi, but in our two-decades-long friendship, he doesn't do that to me.
Kancey told me of that work ethic, "I started play football at four-years old, so football is my life. I am going to give it my all, like anything in life, but it is the competitiveness. I want to compete. It is instilled in me."
Kancey is on every NFL Draft board of every NFL Team. Many have him ranked as the second-highest DT in the entire Draft.
So what would the Miami, Florida native think of playing for the Raiders? "That would be an honor. I would love to play for the Raiders. Especially next to Crosby man, he's a great, great defensive lineman. He (Crosby) plays with a high-motor and I watch his film as well. He's a great player, but I would love to come play for the Raiders."
Make sure you watch the entire interview I had with Kancey above.
In my first MOCK Draft of the 2023 season, I had the Raiders (when the QB they want is unavailable) trading back and selecting Kancey in the first round. It wouldn't surprise me at all.
The Las Vegas Raiders are looking for a specific mindset from each of their new players from the 2023 NFL Draft. That mindset could be summed up in what you see from Kancey.
He will do well no matter where he goes, but doing it in the Silver and Black, next to a Maxx Crosby, would be a dream scenario for Kancey and the Raiders—a nightmare for the rest of the NFL.
The 2023 NFL Draft will go from April 27-29 and be held at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. Starting at 12 p.m. EDT on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EDT 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. EDT on March 15.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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