The Raiders D-Line was far from a strength last year. With a major drop in sack production it's part in leading to a 31st run D left a LOT of room for improvement.

Defensive Tackle:

1. Tommy Kelly- Kelly's move from DE to DT looks to pay dividends early on. In preseason he was equally a run stopper, and was able to collapse the pocket. Kelly's contract may seem controversial, but he's looking more and more like he's worth it. There are however problems with endurance, he and Sands, both had some stamina problems. But right now, Kelly looks to become the next Tommie Harris. Grade: B+

2. Gerrard Warren- I was very surprised to check the depth chart and see Warren as the starter, but pleasantly surprised. Warren, in my opinion, is the better of Sands and Warren. Warren is a solid pass rusher and plays the run well enough. Warren does have some character issues. As you saw last year, he played spectacular football against his former teams, the Browns and Broncos. In the other games, he was practically invisible. If Warren works out that issue, he could be a very good DT. But until then, I look forward to him playing good ball against the Broncos. Grade: B-

3. Terdell Sands- Sands has shown definite signs of improvement in the offseason, but is it enough? Getting his knee drained and watching him on the sideline huffing and puffing isn't very convincing to worried fan. Kiffin and Davis both want to see him excel and gave him every opportunity to get the starting job. The team was ecstatic when he passed his physical and the team is really giving him a lot of encouragement. If anything, Sands is a sign that the Raiders aren't a bunch of players who only care about making their own stats look good, but a true team. Now to actual Sands. I have seen him play the run better than he did last year and he looks as good against the pass as you would expect from a DT like him. He won't have a season like he did in 06 until he works on his conditioning and strength. Grade: C

Defensive End:

1. Derrick Burgess- Burgess didn't have the numbers last year that he did in his two monster years of 06 and 07, but for being injured and constantly doubled, he wasn't too bad. He's going to stay in on run plays this year because he has some ability to play the run. On third down, there'll be less pressure with Edwards on the other side. Both Burgess and Edwards have to be respected on third down, doubling one can lead to the other getting a sack. Burgess is still a Pro bowl caliber end as long as he isn't injured. Grade: A

2. Jay Richardson- Richardson was a force against the run last year. I'll be honest, i thought he may be a one year deal, but seeing him in camp and preseason reassured me that he'll be just as good, and even better this year. Jay worked very hard to develop a pass rush and I think he has one. While he's certainly not Pro bowl or a Clemons type guy, he'll improve on his one sack count of last year. Look for him to continue to produce against the run and end up with at least 2 sacks this year. Grade: B-

3. Kalimba Edwards- Edwards is a real force on the outside. I thought he wouldn't do very well, but when you play in Detroit your numbers aren't very convincing. With someone else on the outside taking off pressure, he'll be able to get free and get some sacks. Edwards doesn't play the run very well, but that's not what he's meant to do. Using his finesse on the edge, he can get free better than most think. Grade: C+

4. Trevor Scott- I was really thinking he'd be put on the practice squad, but instead Spires was cut and Scott was still on the active roster. Scott showed some signs of promise in camp and preseason. He needs to bulk up to the size of a defensive end, as he's very undersized and a tad weaker than needed. But give up some years and we might have something. Grade: C-

Overall Grade: B-. Give this unit some time and they could develop into something great.