Khalil Mack was a can’t-miss prospect who most definitely hasn’t missed.
Labeled by some scouts as the best player available in last year’s NFL Draft, the Raiders defensive end has lived up to the billing, but might have finally arrived on the big stage after his monster game Sunday in Denver.
The Broncos were helpless to contain Mack, who tore through them for five sacks of Brock Osweiler in a 15-12 comeback Raiders victory that put a dent in Denver’s hopes of a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
Mack practically carried the Raiders to the victory by himself, considering Oakland won despite totaling just eight first downs and 127 yards. All of Mack’s sacks came in the second half, the biggest coming in the final seconds to stop a potential game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown.
The five sacks (one of them for a safety) tied Howie Long’s franchise record for most in a game and raised Mack’s season total to 14. Even more ominous for Raiders opponents: Mack has nine sacks just in the past three games.
“That was awesome,” veteran safety Charles Woodson told Bay Area reporters about Mack’s game. “The way he can get around the corner and get low to the ground reminds you of [Hall of Famer] Derrick Thomas. We played against Derrick Thomas my first game in the NFL, against the Chiefs, and he had six sacks against us. Today, Khalil kind of reminded me of that.”
Mack also is helping beleaguered Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie with his reputation and job security.
McKenzie had been on the spot before his selections of Mack out of the University of Buffalo with the fifth overall pick and quarterback Derek Carr in the second round last year started paying off so handsomely this year.
As a result, Oakland is 6-7 and still in the hunt for its first playoff berth since 2002, while J.J. Watt might need to move over and make room for the 6-foot-3, 251-pound Mack on a list of the NFL’s most-feared pass rushers.
Mack was a ball-hawking linebacker in college and still plays that spot in a 3-4 scheme. The skills necessary to succeed at that position are serving him well at end, too.
Mack’s quickness and long arms make up for his lack of size, and when you throw in his ability to play low to the ground, he becomes a matchup nightmare for bigger, slower offensive tackles.
As the Broncos found out Sunday, Mack now looks like a problem the rest of the NFL is going to have to worry about for a long time.