The Oakland Raiders have signed their second round draft pick no. 35 overall Mario Edwards Jr., as reported by the team's official website. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive end is also expected to start for Jack Del Rio's defense, as per ESPN's Bill Williamson.

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Aside from a wide receiver, the Raiders had long been in need of a reliable defensive end and they may have finally found one in Edwards. The former Florida State standout played in three college seasons for 36 games, 26 of which he started. In college, he had 89 tackles, eight sacks, seven defended passes, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He also played a key part of the Seminoles' 2014 BCS Championship victory over the Auburn Tigers.

Edwards was particularly outstanding in high school playing for Billy Ryan. He was considered one of the top college prospects of his class. In 2010, he led Denton Ryan to a second place finish at the state championships behind Austin Lake Travis. He was also the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 during his senior year.

Williamson assessed that because of the Raiders' apparent need at the DE position, Edwards was drafted to play and not just for practice. Of course, this is going to happen as long as he performs well at training camp and the coming preseason.

With his freakishly athletic but wide body, he poses a threat on any team's offensive line. His one weakness, though, was his average skills as a pass-rusher, something that Oakland needs badly as well. For sure, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. will have his hands full in training the rookie to become what the team needs him to be.

Meanwhile, Fansided's Carl Cockerham reported that Edwards could be the "steal of the draft." The Raiders was able to select him at 35th overall only because of his false underachiever reputation in college. Being a highly-touted high school star who was not utilized well in college certainly hurt his standing.

Head coach Del Rio is known for putting players in a position to do what they do best and it is safe to say that the same will happen to Edwards. NFL pundits also speculated that he will flourish with the Seattle Seahawks' Leo defensive position which Norton is expected to implement. 

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, American Football, Oakland Raiders, Mario Edwards Jr.