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2023 Senior Bowl: Offensive line looked dominant in Day 3 practice

On a chilly, rainy day in Mobile, Alabama, Patrick Graham and his team wasted no time getting to work.

Thursday was the last day of practice before the Reese's Senior Bowl this Saturday. The Raiders defensive coordinator continued to push and coach up the talent of his National Team roster. Following these three practices, it's clear that Graham and the Raiders scouting department have many good prospects to evaluate.

Raiders.com's Levi Edwards gives his observations from Day 3 of practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium on University of South Alabama's campus.

Top offensive linemen

The National Team's offense looked dominant in team period, largely in part to the young men up front. Their efforts propelled touchdown passes from all three National Team quarterbacks, and two rushing touchdowns from Illinois running back Chase Brown in the practice.

To highlight a few standout offensive linemen, I'll start with three-time FCS National Champion Cody Mauch. The North Dakota State lineman was a walk-on tight end before picking up 85 pounds and transitioning into a tackle. In his senior season with the Bison, he finished with a 90.8 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, and showcased his versatility this week, moving around to guard and center.

Another other linemen that made a great impression Thursday was Maryland's Jaelyn Duncan He boasts ideal size for the next level, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 315 pounds. Duncan showed a mean streak in blocking, playing aggressively with good technique off the line of scrimmage. He's seemingly done enough to raise his draft stock throughout the week.

Duncan was a three-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and blocked for quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who broke school records in passing yards (3,860), passing touchdowns (26), completions (328) and completion percentage (69.2%) last season.

Unsung defensive line talent

On the other side of the trenches, the defensive line seemed to hold their own.

Graham stated Wednesday that he's looking for "big guys who are hard to block," and he sure has a variety of options to look at. The most impressive prospect that caught my eye Thursday was Georgia Tech's Keion White. He performed well in one-on-one drills, which gave him an opportunity to show his unique speed for his 6-foot-4, 267-pound frame.

White originally arrived to Old Dominion as a tight end and transitioned to defensive end, racking up 3.5 sacks before transferring to Georgia Tech. In his senior season in Atlanta, he complied 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.

Another impressive defensive lineman was Coastal Carolina's Jerrod Clark. The 6-foot-4, 345-pound interior lineman earned 2022 All-Sun Belt Third Team honors with 3.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss his senior season. Clark came into the Senior Bowl with a lot to prove as a Group of Five conference prospect, and hasn't disappointed so far to my eye.

Feel the Payne

Purdue's tight end Payne Durham reminded me a lot of Raiders' Foster Moreau.

Durham made his presence felt in team period, being looked to in the red zone with two touchdown catches from Fresno State QB Jake Haener and BYU's Jaren Hall. Durham showed during his collegiate career that he has a knack for getting in the end zone, with 21 career touchdown receptions as a Boilmaker.

He could definitely be considered the prototypical NFL tight end: good size, physical and boxes out defenders in the red zone.

Take a look back at the best touchdown photos from the Raiders' 2022 season.

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