Who Will Contribute Most on the Raiders' Defensive Line?

The Las Vegas Raiders knew improving the defensive line would be an area of focus for them going into this offseason, especially on the interior.

General Manager Dave Ziegler made moves in free agency, signing John Jenkins and Jordan Willis. He also drafted Alabama’s Byron Young in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and Arizona State’s Nesta Jade Silvera in the seventh.

The Raiders were not one of the better teams in the NFL last season when it came to stopping the run, and they are going to need to improve from where they were a year ago, as they are set to face some of the top rushing attacks in the NFL this season.

The team has made several improvements to its defensive tackle room, and today we will take a closer look at who the Raiders have in that unit. We will evaluate and identify some players who can raise the Raiders’ defensive ceiling and likely their floor.

Let’s start by looking at the rookies the Raiders added in the draft. Byron Young comes from Alabama and has a track record of putting successful defensive tackles in the NFL, including Quinnen Williams and Daron Payne. Young could be next in line from that group, as his leadership and gap control made him a third-round pick. Nesta Jade Silvera is another player who can make an immediate impact by coming in and stopping the run.

The Raiders drafted Neil Farrell Jr. and Adam Butler in last year’s draft, both players having a chance to play more snaps this upcoming season, as they each played about 160 snaps combined last season.

Bilal Nichols was one of the more consistent defensive tackles the Raiders had last season, and he can either continue to play a large number of snaps or become a rotational contributor as some of the younger players earn more opportunities.

The Raiders' defensive tackle group doesn’t have a star player in it, but it has several consistent players and young players ready to break through. This defensive line unit should be much improved if some young guys can reach their ceiling. 

The Raiders' offseason workout schedule is as follows:

OTA Offseason workouts: May 22-23, May 25, May 31-June 2, June 12-15

Mandatory Minicamp: June 6-8

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