The Las Vegas Raiders landed a prototypical nose tackle in the seventh round, selecting N.C. State’s Brandon Cleveland with their final selection.
Vegas Nation podcast
Cleveland entered college as more of a versatile defensive lineman with the ability to move down the line in certain scenarios, but put on some weight and became a solid run stopper who lined up near the ball.
He’s willing to do the dirty work on defense that will free his teammates up to make plays.
The grade: A-
There is nothing spectacular about this pick and that’s OK.
The Raiders are moving to a base 3-4 scheme and while they won’t be aligned that way on every down, there was a need for a run-stuffing defensive tackle that can hold his own at the line of scrimmage.
That’s what Cleveland will do for them.
Still, he’s a decent athlete who was actually offered the option to play baseball during his time at N.C. State before he added about 50 pounds to his frame while in school.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
