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Oakland Raiders Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Shortly after being drafted, Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst received a phone call from Jon Gruden. The conversation didn’t last long but turned out to be prophetic in several ways.Gruden informed Hurst of the renovation plan for Oakland’s defense that was being mapped out by him and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and how much they wanted the former Michigan star to be at the hub of that plan. Gruden also didn’t mince words when he explained that he wanted Hurst to be as big of a presence in the locker room as the team hoped he would be on the field.Hurst has managed to do both fairly well, providing a silver lining to a season in which the Raiders defense has otherwise gone nowhere.“He’s grown leaps and bounds,” Guenther said Friday. “We knew we drafted a good player when we took him and he has not disappointed. He’s done a good job in both the run and the pass. He’s been able to push the pocket some on third down, so he’s going to be a great player for us.”Oakland is 26th in total defense behind a pass rush that has generated only 12 sacks through 14 games. Hurst has four of them, the most by a Raiders rookie since Khalil Mack had four in 2014.Whether Hurst can add to his total is uncertain. He has not practiced this week because of a lingering ankle injury that landed him on the inactive list in Week 14.A strong finish to the season, Hurst said, will be key to getting a jump on 2019 as he and fellow rookie P.J. Hall try to form the foundation of the Raiders defensive line.“We’ve done a pretty decent job this year so we just have to try to build on things,” Hurst said. “These last couple of games will be big for us. Just keep developing Maxx Crosby Oakland Raiders Jersey , have a big offseason and get ready for next year.”The Raiders were fortunate Hurst fell into their laps. A consensus All-American during his senior season with the Wolverines, Hurst was projected to be a first-round draft pick until being sent home from the scouting combine after tests revealed a heart condition.Hurst was given medical clearance but it didn’t prevent the other 31 teams from passing on him. When he was selected with the 140th overall pick, the Raiders were widely criticized by several general managers around the league.It’s a gamble that has paid off for Oakland.In addition to leading the Raiders in sacks, Hurst is fourth among all NFL rookie defensive linemen with 31 tackles.Guenther and Gruden both have praised Hurst for his impact in the locker room as well. Hurst, in turn, credits Gruden for giving him an early heads-up of what to expect.“I had a good sense of what was going on and what we had on our roster and what we were trying to build,” Hurst said. “Sometimes you want to take a back seat but that wasn’t really a position I was in. It’s something I’ve taken pride in and what I want to continue to do. He didn’t want me to be a normal rookie.”Notes: CB Daryl Worley (shoulder) missed his second straight day of practice. . CB Gareon Conley (concussion), center Rodney Hudson (ankle/knee) and TE Lee Smith (back) were limited. It’s now official. The deadline has passed for teams to exercise the 5th year option on 2016 first round picks. Raiders safety Karl Joseph was not among them, making this the final year of his..."It’s now official. The deadline has passed for teams to exercise the 5th year option on 2016 first round picks. Raiders safety Karl Joseph was not among them Maxx Crosby Jersey 2019 , making this the final year of his rookie contract.The 14th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Joseph is among the highest drafted players from that year to not get his option picked up. The only players who were drafted higher were 8th overall pick Titans tackle Jack Conklin and 10th overall pick Saints cornerback Eli Apple (originally drafted by the Giants and traded to New Orleans.It’s not uncommon, however, for first round picks to not get their option picks up. In fact, once you get into the lower part of the first round of that draft, more players did not get their option picked up than those who did, as ESPN’s Field Yates lays out nicely here.Just 6 of the final 19 players picked in that first round got their option picked up.Basically the main issue with Karl Joseph being one of the highest players picked to not receiver a 5th year has mostly to do with being selected too high in the draft. He was coming off a serious ACL tear in his senior season at West Virginia that took well into training camp for him to return. The lingering effects of the injury — both physical and mental — essentially cost him his rookie season. After his first full season as a healthy starter in 2017, New Defensive Coordinator Paul Guenther came in and put two veterans on the field ahead of him who he thought could run his defense the way he wanted it run. Then Joseph got banged up early in the season and wasn’t able to take over as the starter until week 8, following the bye week. And low and behold Cheap Maxx Crosby Jersey , he was among the better defenders the Raiders had last season.Basically what we’re talking about is a team having to make a decision based on half a season. Just bad luck more than anything. Look at it this way, though. If Joseph plays well this season, he would be looking for a new contract regardless; whether by extension or otherwise. If he doesn’t play well enough to earn a new contract, the Raiders won’t be on the hook for another season and can either move on, or sign him to a new deal more favorable than the 5th year option year. The other 11 teams that didn’t pick up the option on their 2016 first round pick are thinking the same thing.Follow @LeviDamien