Over the last few years, we’ve grown accustom to seeing J.J. Watt take home the Defensive MVP award, but I’m here to tell you why Watt might be passing the torch to another pass rusher in 2016.
Remember the 2014 NFL Draft when there were questions about who would have a better career getting to the quarterback between South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney and Buffalo’s Khalil Mack? Well, neither do I.
Clowney was projected to be the NFL’s next biggest defensive star while many analysts didn’t believe Mack could transition from a smaller school to the NFL. Funny how things have gone since then, with two careers going completely separate directions, Mack has proved many people, (including myself) undeniably wrong.
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Mack’s career didn’t take off when he first stepped on the field for the Silver and Black, as the former Buffalo star only gathered four sacks to go along with 76 tackles. His sophomore year was a completely different story as Mack beat his rookie sack total in one game against the Denver Broncos when he tallied five sacks in the Week 14 match-up. The 6’3″ pass rusher ended last year’s campaign with 15 sacks and 77 tackles, a huge jump from his rookie totals.
Come 2016, I expect those numbers to only go up. The front office added some nice defensive pieces on the defensive side of the ball, signing free agents like cornerback Sean Smith and edge rusher Bruce Irvin. The latter, signed away from Seattle, will only help Khalil Mack’s cause as having a talented, aggressive pass rusher on the opposite side will only help take extra attention away from the third year pro.
The first player in NFL history to be named a First Team All-Pro player at two different positions, Mack still hasn’t been able to put together a full consistent season, according to Oakland defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.
With two years already under his belt, there’s no reason for the Pro Bowler to not come into his own, and truly dominate every game, similar to Houston’s Watt. You see Watt consistently causing problems for the opposing offense play in and play out, if the Raiders’ edge rusher can maintain that high level of play, we might see Michael Strahan‘s record of 22.5 sacks in a single season shattered.
Recently, NFL.com writer Adam Schein came up with a list naming the league’s most indispensable players on the defensive side of the ball. Watt came up number one with Mack right behind at two. Schein cites how Mack is only getting better as his career progresses, and how Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr projected his pass rusher to attain 30 sacks next season, and he wasn’t joking. That high level of confidence from your team’s leader has to mean something.
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Come the 2016 season, I expect not only Mack to make a huge jump, but the Raiders as a whole to elevate their play and contend for the AFC West title. It will all take place starting Week 1 on September, 11th, 2016 against the New Orleans Saints.