Through three years with the Las Vegas Raiders, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. has started 17 games and registered eight sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and only one forced fumble. For a once budding star, his career’s a disappointment so far. Last year was especially bad for him, you barely noticed when he was even on the field. There are multiple reasons why he disappointed this year and why his career as a whole is lacking.
The Raiders haven’t been able to tap Maurice Hurst’s potential
This is one of the most disappointing things about his career. At one point during the draft, the Michigan product was touted as a top ten pick. Alas, he ended up falling down to the fifth round because of a rare medical condition. So the ceiling was shallow, and you can see why him only starting 17 out of 48 games is concerning. Also, keep in mind that averaging more than 50 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense is more worrisome. For a former touted rookie, his playing time needs to be addressed one way or another.
Medical reasons have hurt Hurst’s production throughout both this year and his career. After three years, he has yet to play in a full season. In 2020 alone, the defensive tackle missed five games due to injury. If he can’t finish one full season at least once in the next two to three years, no teams are going to want to sign him, let alone the Raiders.
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Maurice Hurst hasn’t played up to his potential
If you look at the games Hurst did start in 2020, his snap count to overall production is not the one you expect from a starter. Overall, he amassed 27 tackles, 6 hits, and a 0.5 sack. All other than hits are career lows. This makes the point that his production is very low and it’s not just from a lack of seeing the field.
What many considered a steal in the fifth round in 2018 has mostly become a disappointment. There are a variety of reasons, but at this point in his career, you have to wonder what happened. Hurst will hopefully get another chance next year, which will be a make or break year with his time with the Raiders.
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But interestingly, PFF gives Hurst a 77.9 grade and ranks him #18 out of 129 DI’s, so he must be doing something right (assuming they didn’t completely botch on the grade). My guess is he is regularly double-teamed. Would like to see more from him in the pass rush, for sure, though. We will see. This coming year is his last on his rookie contract, and players tend to start performing when a new contract is at stake. My expectation would be Pro Bowl.
He’s a great player when he’s ON the field. The raiders don’t even put him out there. Granted he’s been injured but when he’s healthy he’s subbed out for Hankins, Vickers, Nassib, which are guys that Hurst is no doubt better than. When he’s on the field he makes a difference. He hustles his tail off, gets after the quarterback, and plays the run well. It’s just a question of whether the raiders will keep subbing out Hurst or leaving him out there more so he can demonstrate his abilities. In all, we didn’t miss on this pick. It’s the raiders’ fault for not giving Hurst more snaps and opportunities to finally show what he’s capable of.
In addition to his PFF grades, which are excellent…
I don’t know how you want to measure his success, but he was the 140th overall pick and the 14th DT taken in the draft (there were 22 total drafted).
He has 1 season as a starter, better than all but five DTs in the draft, including five taken ahead of him.
He has 10 AV on PFR, better than 13 DTs from that class, including 7 taken ahead of him.
He has appeared in 40 games, more than 13 DTs from the class, including 6 taken ahead of him.
His 8.0 sacks are tied for second among all DTs in that draft class.
He’s an above average DT in the class, and he’s likely outperforming his draft position. He’s not even making $1m this season. He’s a fantastic player at that price.
Interestingly, many, many, many players played under the expectations in Guenther’s D, and many, many, many, were better before and after their time playing under Guenther. I’d like to see what Hurst and some others do under Bradley before I decide if they underperformed, or if the coaching did.