2019 NFL Mock Draft: Dwayne Haskins atop one team’s Christmas list
Josh Allen. 2. player. 28. . DE/OLB. Kentucky
The Raiders traded their only difference-maker off the edge in Khalil Mack, and have spent the entire season being unable to affect opposing quarterbacks. Oakland ranks dead last in the NFL in sacks, with half as many as the 31st ranked team. There’s not a single edge rusher on the entire roster with more than a single sack this season.
Finding a pass rusher will be priority one this offseason, whether that’s in the draft or via free agency.
Josh Allen has rocketed up draft boards in his senior season in Lexington, and while this might be a little bit of a reach to take him No. 2 overall, he has the potential to turn into an elite edge rusher in the NFL.
Allen has spearheaded a resurgent Kentucky squad this season, walking away with several prestigious awards for his efforts, including the Bednarik and Nagurski.
Allen has racked up 18.5 tackles-for-loss and 14.0 sacks in 2018, which is second in the country behind Northern Illinois’ Sutton Smith. He’s a bit raw, but he has elite top-end speed for an edge rusher who has just now begun to even scratch the surface of his potential.
I’m guessing this pick for the Raiders would come down to Allen and Alabama DT Quinnen Williams. I think the potential of identifying a top-end pass rusher will trump the sure thing in the middle that Williams projects to be.