Antonio Pierce is entering his first full season as head coach of the Raiders, and there is still some mystery to what the team is going to look like after a full offseason with “A.P.” in the driver’s seat.
Given the fact that Pierce is a former defensive player and moved up the ranks as a defensive coach, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few philosophical changes from the Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels eras in Las Vegas.
One of the first shifts in focus going forward could very well involve the running game.
It’s no secret that new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy likes to run the ball, and Pierce showed during his interim run in 2023 that he wants to control the clock and play defense at the highest level.
Last year, the Raiders had the sixth-fewest rushing attempts in the NFL and Getsy’s Bears ended the season with the second-most rushing attempts in the league – just seven carries behind the league-leading Baltimore Ravens.
“I think [Antonio Pierce] wants to pound the football. Luke Getsy wants to pound the football,” JT said on his daily Raider Nation Radio show. “They want to run it physical, but the only way they [can] do that is they’ve got to get better players on the offensive line. So I think when we think of the offensive line coming up here, it’s becoming more of a priority for me.”
If the Raiders plan to emphasize the running game next year, a draft prospect to watch might be the Alabama offensive tackle ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. sent to Las Vegas in his most recent mock draft…
“In my last mock draft, I had the Raiders taking the best interior penetrator in the class in Byron Murphy II (Texas). Well, that no longer makes sense after they gave free agent Christian Wilkins a massive deal, plugging a hole in the middle of their defense. I’m not ruling out edge rusher or quarterback as a possibility with this pick — they did add Gardner Minshew in free agency to at the very least be a bridge passer — but I keep staring at their depth chart and wondering who’s going to play right tackle. Let’s fill that void with [Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham], the best right tackle in this class.
Latham started 27 games at the position in college, surrendering just two sacks and 16 total pressures. He can also dominate in the run game with his 6-foot-6, 342-pound frame. Las Vegas is remaking its run game without back Josh Jacobs, who signed with Green Bay, and Latham could be an integral part of its rebuild. The Raiders ranked 28th in yards per rush attempt (3.7) last season.”
Just something to think about with so many popular mock drafts still showing a quarterback being taken by the Raiders with the 13th pick.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I don’t think they want to pound the ball if they did don’t you think they would of went after Henry?