The Raiders defensive line is one of the few areas that hasn't had a lot of top combine performers on it. Mostly because it had never been an area of significant interest to Al Davis. And so, his need for athletic prowess didn't extend to the line.
The most athletic of the Raiders linemen is Lamarr Houston. He came out of college as a defensive tackle and at around 300 pounds, had some of the best numbers at the combine among interior defensive linemen. His best numbers were his 4.84 40 yard dash, 33 1/2-inch vertical jump, and 7.61 three-cone. The Raiders took him in round two and converted him to defensive end.
The other athletic lineman is defensive end Jarvis Moss who was second among defensive linemen in his class with a 10' broad jump.
Ironically, the best current defensive lineman the Raiders have, Matt Shaughnessy, did not do well in his combine drills. The Raiders got a steal taking him in the third round of the 2009 draft.
Outside of position drills, how important do you think these drills are in measuring a prospective NFL player?
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