Defensive line reinforcements coming to Raiders with fourth-round pick

Spending most of their draft picks on offense so far, the Las Vegas Raiders have returned to giving the other side of the ball some love.

With the 135th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway.

Defensive line was a major point of contention for the Raiders all of last season. Ballyhooed free agent acquisition Christian Wilkins is still up in the air from a health perspective, and top edge rushers in Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce had their 2024 campaigns wrecked by injury. The team found out the hard way that reinforcements on the defensive line are paramount to keeping production strong, so they chose to land Hemingway here.

What Hemingway brings to the Raiders

Much like his name suggests, Hemingway is built like a truck and ready to make a living in opposing backfields.

One of the most athletic defensive linemen available in the draft, Hemingway possesses impressive quickness and acceleration that allows him to beat offensive linemen. There are a few technical issues to clean up, however, and he will be 24 by the time his rookie season ends, so his ceiling might top out as a rotational defensive lineman. That said, the Raiders were in need of those types after last season exposed a lack of depth, and Hemingway’s tools point to him as a fun pass-rushing option down the line.

The Raiders wanted to improve the state of their pass rush, and they chose to do so with Hemingway.