Oakland Raiders: 7-Round 2018 mock draft in mid-March

Defensive tackle has been a position of need for the Oakland Raiders for many years. Justin Ellis has filled the position nicely in recent years and was rewarded with a three-year contract extension this offseason. However, the Raiders still desperately need to add some depth to their interior defensive line.

Eddie Vanderdoes flashed some upside as a rookie last season, but he tore his ACL in the last game of the season, making their depth issues even more obvious. In the third round of this mock draft, the Raiders attack their need at defensive tackle by drafting Virginia Tech’s Tim Settle.

Settle is a big and powerful defensive lineman who can absolutely dominate in the middle. He shows fantastic power at the point of attack, consistently keeping opposing offensive linemen away from his linebackers.

Settle can be a dominant two-gap defender, but do not discount his ability to move. The Virginia Tech product shows impressive natural quickness and agility for a man of his size, which allows him to make plays in the backfield at times. Settle is a strong run defender who also shows some serious interior pass rush upside.

With an expanded skill set, Settle has the ability to play any interior defensive line position at the next level. He needs to become more consistent in order to reach his massive upside, but there is a lot to like about his overall game. In the third round, Settle is a prospect who would make a ton of sense for the Oakland Raiders.