NFL Draft: Re-drafting the star-studded 2014 NFL Draft
By Cory Kinnan
5. player. 28. . EDGE. Boise State Broncos. Demarcus Lawrence
Original Pick: Khalil Mack, EDGE, Buffalo Bulls
Khalil Mack is now off of the board in this re-draft, as he went No. 1 overall to the Houston Texans. Even though Jadeveon Clowney still sits on the board as an available pass rusher, the Oakland Raiders would go in a different direction to solve their pass-rushing woes here at No. 5.
Passing over Clowney, the Raiders select Demarcus Lawrence, the second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.
Though Lawrence has been a late bloomer of sorts in his career. he has come on strong over the past two seasons for the Cowboys. Up until 2017, Lawrence had only tallied a total of 78 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks. However, over the last two years Lawrence has appeared in two Pro Bowls and recorded a total of 25 sacks and 29 tackles for loss in that span.
The Cowboys used the franchise tag on Lawrence this offseason in order to give themselves more time to negotiate a long-term deal with their star pass rusher.
In March 2019, the two sides agreed to a five-year, $105 million contract with $48 million guaranteed at signing. The former second-round pick rounds out the top-five in this re-draft and lands with the Raiders.