Eddie Vanderdoes a major reason the Raiders defense played so much better

The Oakland Raiders barely did anything to upgrade the defense in free agency this offseason. Their lone signing on the defensive side of the ball was linebacker Jelani Jenkins who didn’t make it past the 53 man cut deadline. It’s not surprise then, that the Raiders drafted mostly defensive players in the NFL Draft, spending six of their nine picks on that side of the ball including their first two picks.

And after week one of the regular season, the draft strategy is already paying off, but not the way many would have imagined. The Raiders are coming off of a big win on the road against a good Tennessee Titans team and a win in which the defense played far better than anyone expected it would. And yet neither Gareon Conley nor Obi Melifonwu played in the game. Instead, it was another rookie, Eddie Vanderdoes, who represented a big time upgrade for the Raiders defense.

It’s a small sample size, but after only one game. Eddie Vanderdoes already looks like an elite talent.

Don’t believe me? Just ask Pro Football Focus who graded him as the third highest interior pass rusher in week one of the NFL:

Don’t believe Pro Football Focus? Have a look for yourself:

And another one….

And another one…

I mean, who woulda thought Eddie Vanderdoes would have me out here recapping the game like I’m DJ Khalid?

With 37 plays, Eddie Vanderdoes played 58% of the defensive snaps for the Raiders, more than any defensive lineman not named Khalil Mack (Still don’t know if I should call Mack a DE or a LB or just MACK DA GAWD, but I digress).

That means he played more snaps than Mario Edwards, Jr. More snaps than Justin Ellis. More snaps than Denico Autry. More snaps than guys who have been in the league for years and I wouldn’t expect that to change any time soon. Vanderdoes is only one game into his career and he’s already looking like he could end up being one of Reggie McKenzie’s best draft picks. A third round pick that could become an elite defender.

Because as you can see from the clips above, Vanderdoes is a wrecking ball who creates havoc on the interior of the line and not just on passing plays. The Raiders defense looked very good against one of the best run games in the league and Vanderdoes was a major reason why. His ability to not only eat blocks, but also shed blocks with ease is nothing short of beautiful.

But what might be most impressive is that it’s not just his strength. Yes, it’s fun to watch Vanderdoes throw offensive linemen around like rag dolls, but it’s even more impressive when you consider he’s not just a power guy, he has some finnesse moves as well.

That’s right…. everyone say it with me together “ANOTHER ONE” *DJ Khalid voice*

So while I, like many others, are very excited to see what Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu will bring to this defense, I’m also very confident that the Raiders defense is already far better than it was last year thanks to third round pick, Eddie Vanderdoes.