Fourth in a series analyzing potential draft picks for the Raiders, scheduled to select at No. 8 in the first round on April 22:
College: Tennessee
Position: Defensive tackle
Height, weight: 6-2, 327 pounds
Why it’s Williams: The Raiders have found their share of what they believe to be penetrating three-technique tackles (Tommy Kelly, Warren Sapp) and played Gerard Warren, another three-technique, alongside Kelly. Warren was sent packing. What they don’t have is that big tree trunk in the middle tying up two blockers while the likes of Kelly, Richard Seymour and their linebackers come in to clean up at or behind the line of scrimmage, thus making the Raiders defense difficult to run on. Instead, the Raiders have been awful against the run for years. No team has given up as many rushing touchdowns over the last seven years and there has been a steady drumbeat of 100-yard runners. Williams would give the Raiders what they hoped to have in Terdell Sands _ a stout inside presence against the run and make everyone else on the line better. Williams blossomed under the tutelage of defensive line coach Ed Orgeron and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin at Tennessee and would step in and start immediately. Considering the Raiders specific need vs. the run, he may be a better fit than even Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy, the two supposed can’t miss tackles who should be long gone by the time the Raiders pick at No. 8.
Why it’s not Williams: Williams would be rotated in Oakland, coming off the field on passing downs. He can push the pocket but is not a big pass rusher. In terms of economics, the Raiders don’t like to sink really big money into what they consider part-time players. It took a while for Williams to play well at Tennessee _ he had only 19 starts entering his senior year and was generally considered only a mid-round pick. The tricky part of projecting Williams is if he can continue to get better, for as good as he was for his last year in the SEC, the NFL is a different animal. With nose tackles, you often know right away, and if Williams isn’t an immediate force, he probably won’t be one at all. The Raiders have had five picks in the top seven or better in the first round and have zero Pro Bowl-caliber players to show for it. They can’t miss again.
Quotable: “I can’t really control who says who is better. All I can do is perform. If you want to say who is better, you can put Dan Williams’ film against anybody’s film. Look at Suh and McCoy and you tell me who is better. That is my resume and that is what I can go by.”
Draft prospect: Dan Williams - Inside the Oakland Raiders - A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group
