Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Oakland Raiders: Friday Fact or Fiction
By Daniel Lago
Khalil Mack will get a sack: FACT
The 2014 draft is going to be a fascinating case to study in the coming years, especially in regards to the draft classes compiled by the Raiders and the Jaguars. After shocking the world and selecting quarterback Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell loaded up on offense, taking potential stars in Allen Robinson and Brandon Linder. On the other side of the coin, the Raiders ended up taking the player most mocked to the Jaguars leading up to the draft (Khalil Mack), along with the guy who is currently the unquestioned best young passer in the NFL (Derek Carr).
There are a lot of very good players if you look at both draft classes, but most analysts would probably peg Mack as the best of the bunch. After a rookie season that saw the Buffalo product compile plenty of pressures and hurries but not many sacks, Mack exploded in year 2 with 15 sacks and an All Pro nod at two (!!!) positions. He’s had a slow start to 2016, but he’s still one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL.
The Jacksonville offensive line has been better at pass blocking this year, but it’s still not a strength. Blake Bortles has been sacked 14 times so far in 2016, 7th in the NFL which is bad even before you factor in the bye week. Mack gets to face off against two tackles in Jermey Parnell and Kelvin Beachum that have been inconsistent. The Jaguars historically are awful at stopping great edge rushers (just look at last year’s week 17 debacle against the Houston Texans), so I’d be shocked if Mack doesn’t get to Bortles at least once this Sunday.