Analysis: D-lineman Pegues adds ‘unique’ potential to Raiders’ rookie class

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

The Raiders’ superstar first-round draft pick at running back might have a 309-pound position partner when he goes through rushing drills for the first time at the team’s Henderson headquarters during next week’s rookie minicamp. 

Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas’ No. 6 overall pick in last week’s draft, ran for 29 touchdowns last season in college football but new teammate JJ Pegues, Las Vegas’ No. 180 overall pick, had seven of his own.

That's not bad considering Pegues, who was taken in the sixth round out of Ole Miss, was primarily a defensive tackle.

“Well, Vita Vea caught a touchdown pass in 2019,” Raiders general manager John Spytek said of his former Pro Bowl defensive tackle while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“We had Vince Wilfork in New England,” Raiders Director of College Scouting Brandon Yeargan added to describe his own experience of using a defensive tackle’s offensive chops.

The pair shared those comparisons mostly in jest during their post-draft news conference. In reality, Pegues is highly unlikely to be a part of the Raiders’ offensive game plan going into their first season under new coach Pete Carroll. 

But in the long term, the staff isn’t putting any limits on the 23-year-old from Oxford, Miss., and he might just be the most fitting mascot of the first rookie class assembled with Spytek and Carroll at the helm.

The Raiders prioritized athleticism and versatility in this year’s draft class, the franchise’s biggest in 18 years with 11 players, and no one symbolizes that better than a player who lined up at six different positions during a five-year college career.

“It’s unique,” Yeargan said of Pegues. “He’s playing on the end, he’s playing inside, he’s over the nose, and then he’s obviously playing the short yardage fullback, wildcat quarterback, tight end — unique athletic traits. We’ll see what he does for us. (We're) excited about having him here.”

Teams tend to talk up most of their picks as value adds that dropped into their laps later than expected, but in the case of Pegues, it might actually be true.

The NFL’s scouting database projected him as a fourth- or fifth-round pick, but he ultimately lingered longer on draft boards with teams likely concerned about his rawness at his primary position.

Pegues is not a seasoned defensive tackle. He switched to the position during his sophomore season at Auburn, which initially had recruited him as a tight end who could also play fullback. He looks at that as a feature, not a bug.

He knows he has a way to go and expresses optimism in having more untapped promise than most linemen drafted to play in the NFL.

“Something that I know I can work on more is definitely just the fundamental things — hand placement and stuff like that,” Pegues said in a conference call with reporters. “What helped me a lot is identification of the backfield and play recognition, just because I played on the offensive side for a long time. So, things in the backfield look familiar and play calls and sounds and stuff like that. It’s definitely a good advantage for me.” 

Sixth-round picks are typically no locks to make the initial 53-man roster, but the Raiders seem likely to exercise some patience with Pegues if required.

There’s a path to him getting on the field and establishing himself in the interior defensive line rotation as a rookie, but probably not much pressure.

Las Vegas has one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league, Christian Wilkins, coming off foot surgery, and also brought back underrated veteran interior pass rusher Adam Butler.

Centennial High graduate Jonah Laulu, meanwhile, was a revelation at the end of his rookie season last year. The Raiders also drafted South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway 45 spots ahead of Pegues this year, in the fourth round.

Still, Pegues wasn’t surprised when the Raiders were ultimately the team that called him a couple hours later. They hadn’t hidden their interest, as Carroll was even on the phone with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin earlier in the day.

“I took a 30 visit up to the Raiders and, from then on, the interactions I had with the coaches and the staff, it was amazing,” Pegues said, referring to a meeting he had with the team as one of its 30 league-permitted visits with potential draft picks for in-depth interviews, medical evaluations and team-building tours. “The facility was amazing. It was somewhere really high on my list that I really wanted to go to, because I’m from Mississippi and you’ve got to fly a long way to get back home, and I needed something new.”

Pegues has gotten a feel for being away from home after the past four months while he went through the whirlwind of preparing for the draft, including specialized training around the country and at the combine in Indianapolis.

Along the process, he struck up a friendship with Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up out of Boise State who is considered the most promising running back prospect in years.

The pair meshed without ever knowing they’d eventually be teammates. Maybe now they’ll even be position-mates at some point.

“Us two in the backfield, maybe in a package, would look dangerous,” Pegues said. “I know Coach Carroll is going to do some fun stuff with us. It’s definitely a blessing. I’m glad they took a risk on me.”