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P.J. Hall and Maurice Hurst wasted little time providing the inside pass rush that Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden wanted when he used two draft picks on the defensive tackles.Hall delivered on his first snap as a pro White Amani Oruwariye Jersey , bringing down Detroit's Matt Cassel in the exhibition opener. Hurst got pressure twice with one of those leading to Hall deflecting a pass by Cassel.That's an ingredient that has been sorely missing in Oakland for years and will go a long way toward upgrading a defense that hopes to be much improved in the first year under Gruden and coordinator Paul Guenther."I was pleased with it," Gruden said Monday. "I think it's an area that we've gone out to try to improve and we have a long way to go. But, there were some good signs."The Raiders drafted Hall in the second round after he recorded 42 sacks in his college career at FCS-level Sam Houston State. Oakland then was able to add another potential impact rusher in the fifth round when Hurst fell from a projected first-round pick because of a heart issue that led him to be sent home from the combine.Hurst was one of the most productive defensive players in the country last season at Michigan. He had 5陆 sacks as an interior rusher and led all nose tackles and defensive tackles with 49 total quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.Hurst has had no health issues since being drafted and delivered just what the Raiders expected."He's going to continue to get better," Gruden said. "I think going up against (Kelechi) Osemele and Gabe Jackson and (Rodney) Hudson all camp has made him better. It's made him stronger. It's made him play with better technique and leverage. He still has a ways to go but he and P.J. Hall both give us an element that we need here."The Raiders have the second-fewest sacks in the NFL the past two seasons with just 56 — one more than the last-place New York Jets. Nearly two-thirds of those sacks have come from Khalil Mack (21 1/2) and Bruce Irvin (15), as the edge players have gotten almost no help from the inside rushers.Oakland had just 1 1/2 sacks last year from players playing inside full-time, making the performance in the preseason opener so encouraging.Hall's sack came on the opening drive when Cassel was forced to step up in the pocket because of outside pressure by Irvin and Fadol Brown. Hall figures more of those opportunities will come, especially once Mack ends his holdout and rejoins the team."I definitely feel that will help a lot Frank Ragnow Jersey ," he said. "He's a great edge rusher. He will make the quarterbacks step up in the pocket so I need to make sure I get a good interior rush."The interior rush is a key part of Guenther's defense. He had one of the best in the game at it during his time in Cincinnati when Geno Atkins anchored the Bengals defense.Hurst said he has tried to model his game after Atkins and embraces the challenge of trying to fill that role in Oakland."Definitely gets me amped up," he said. "The Bengals, their best player was their 3-technique, so that's the focal point of their defense and that's what Coach Guenther is used to getting. That's what he's got his whole time in the NFL. He drafted Geno, so I think it says something to him for drafting me and P.J. I think he definitely expects a lot from us and expects us to fill that role that he had while he was with the Bengals."NOTES: CB Gareon Conley returned to practice for the first time since injuring his hip on the first day of training camp. ... CB Daryl Worley left practice after colliding with teammate Rashaan Melvin. Time to gloat."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsNFL DraftNFL Open ThreadsSunday open thread: What was your best NFL Draft prediction?New,47commentsTime to gloat. EDTShareTweetShareShareSunday open thread: What was your best NFL Draft prediction?Jerry Lai-USA TODAY SportsOn Saturday, we all repented and confessed our most shameful NFL Draft misses. Plenty of people modestly admitted some of the draft scouting mistakes they’ve made in the past. Poor Aaron Curry lovers faced the music yesterday and offered us a reminder of just how bad we can all be at this prediction stuff.But now you’ve all earned yourself some gloating time. Now it’s time to go to the other end of the spectrum. Strut your stuff, because there is nothing better than pounding the table for someone—especially when everyone else is calling you an idiot—and to have your opinion proven true on draft day and beyond.So today’s Question of the Day is:What NFL Draft prediction/scouting report did you absolutely nail? My answer: I’ll admit that when I do my draft prep Jarrad Davis Jersey , I try not to get too high or low on a guy, and I’d rather do the grunt work of the research after the picks were made. That being said, I occasionally still fall in love with a player. Back in 2014, it was Anthony Barr. His college film was flashy, his production was outstanding, and the rumors of his character were nearly flawless. But there were certainly some risks involved. When I chose Barr for the Lions in the Community Mock Draft (yes, I skipped over Aaron Donald, too) T.J. Hockenson Detroit Lions Jersey , y’all let me know in the comment section.It was too early. Mike Evans was the easy pick here. He won’t make an immediate impact. One-trick pony. You can go get Kyle Van Noy in the second (That’s an actual comment here). In reality, Barr ended up going before the Lions were even on the clock. He made a big impact in his rookie year (12 starts, 70 tackles, 4.0 sacks). He’s lived up to his draft status (four Pro Bowls). And he’s anything but a one-trick pony. He’s managed to earn the reputation of being one of the best off-ball linebacker without gaudy sack numbers (13.5 in five years). Barr isn’t your annual All Pro player that is recognized as one of the best to ever play the game or anything, but he’s a solid player that was well worth the Vikings’ ninth overall pick. He remains one of my biggest draft “wins.”Your turn.Tweets from https://twitter.com/PrideOfDetroit/lists/lions-coverage