Oakland Raiders: 5 Most important 2017 training camp battles

3. Stuffers and Pocket Crushers

The game is won or lost at the point of attack, winning at the line of scrimmage is paramount to the success of a football team. If you are getting pushed around and not providing any pressure on today’s NFL quarterback you are going to be destroyed. Injuries and ineffectiveness plagued the big defensive tackles.

Rumor has it, some of what the interior defensive lineman have been asked to do, meaning a philosophical shift in the techniques and disciplines that were taught and employed. Having an underperforming unit of non-starters at the position playing a system that doesn’t ask them to attack directly, but to maintain two-gap control. That’s a lot to be asking rookies and relatively inexperienced players to do.

A more traditional camp battle, this hopefully results in a hot and heavy battle of large men kicking tails and giving fans something to be proud of heading into the season. For the Raiders to get where they want to go, someone/everyone else needs to contribute consistently. The older remaining veterans, specifically Justin Ellis, have left something to be desired.

Jihad Ward, the second-round draft pick, must grow and continue to learn his position. Darius Latham was a stout nose tackle against the run, but he must learn how to collapse the pocket. Treyvon Hester and Eddie Vanderdoes were drafted to be solutions. I expect it to be an awesome battle in Napa and my winners are Vanderdoes and Ward, with Hester, Latham and Denico Autry to be in the rotation.