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:

PFF

2023-01-10 21:36

Interior defender PRP leaders from Week 1 💪 https://t.co/JKopfDYH9q

1498 40

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

Chris Reed

2023-01-10 21:36

Vanderdoes with the forklift. This guy was a great pick in the 3rd. https://t.co/eIa7w7GZCa

184 8

And another one….

Ted Nguyen

2023-01-10 21:37

OMG @Vanderdoes94 first snap of his career. That’s a quality lineman he just pancaked. https://t.co/lZsdXA6exp

422 20

And another one…

Ted Nguyen

2023-01-10 21:37

Should we start a body bag count for @Vanderdoes94 for the whole year? #2 https://t.co/ycUTjs0wiQ

137 7

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).

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