If you were to just look at the raw stats, it would appear the defensive tackle Maurice Hurst took a step backward in his second season. After recording four sacks as a rookie, Hurst notched only 3.5 sacks in 16 games this season. However, raw stats can lie as they don’t tell the whole story about a player’s value.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hurst was the team’s highest-graded defender for the second-straight season. Take a look at what the site said about the former Michigan defensive tackle in 2019:
Hurst came out of college with first-round credentials and while he hasn’t exactly dominated, he finishes the 2019 season as the highest-graded Raiders defensive player at 72.2 overall. Don’t be fooled by sack totals, Hurst was the team’s most efficient pass-rusher, grading at 76.5 and pressuring the quarterback 38 times on only 355 rushes.
Hurst still needs to improve as a run defender, but it’s clear that he is a talented pass rusher. Hopefully, he can continue to develop as the team looks for ways to improve their defense. But the Raiders should rest easy knowing they have a potential stud in the middle of their defense.
