While most of Raider Nation would prefer to forget about the 2018 season, there’s no doubt that Raiders DT Maurice Hurst Jr. was a bright spot and going forward, he will play a bigger role in 2019.
Raiders: Is Mo Hurst Poised For Breakthrough Sophomore Season?
Pro Football Focus recently featured Hurst as a player that is poised to break out next year in his Sophomore campaign.
“Hurst may have finished 50th among interior defenders in terms of overall grade this year, but there were times when he reminded us of the player we saw at Michigan, and if he can replicate that more often in 2019 he could very well be the next big thing at the position.”
–MARK CHICHESTER, PFF
As Mark Chichester of PFF pointed out, if Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, where Hurst had three total pressures, three defensive stops and an overall grade of 90.5, is an indicator, next season can be huge.
#Raiders interior defender Maurice Hurst is among our players from the 2018 draft class who are poised for big sophomore campaigns #RaiderNation
https://t.co/Sx1P8sH12n pic.twitter.com/AGbhedymCu— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) February 26, 2019
Assuming the Raiders improve the defensive line via the upcoming draft (or free agency), all signs point to Mo Hurst becoming the “next big thing” as PFF mentioned.