Oakland Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck has seen a lot in his 10-year NFL career.
He's played alongside the likes of Michael Strahan, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora. He was a part of the New York Giants defensive line that helped defeat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He's got 65.5 sacks and 22 forced fumbles for his career, so when he offers his opinion on another player's future, you know it comes from a place of sincere NFL knowledge and experience.
This past season, his first with the Raiders, Tuck was given the opportunity to play alongside a guy he has come to believe can have a Hall of Fame-worthy career: outside linebacker Khalil Mack.
Mack, despite his high pedigree (a fifth overall draft selection) and fantastic rookie season production (75 tackles, four sacks and an unbelievable 40 quarterback hurries) finished third in the voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
No matter, says Tuck.
"I've watched a lot of film on guys like Derrick Thomas, Lawrence Taylor ... I'm not saying that he will be that player, I'm saying he's capable of being that player," Tuck said last week during Super Bowl festivities, per ESPN. "Believe me, I know what praise I just gave him. I know what category I just potentially put him into. The thing I love about him that people don't get to see every day is not the fact that he's an absolute physical specimen. It's not that. It's that he's smart, he understands the game, but he also understands that he doesn't know it all."
The 6-foot-3, 252-pound Mack might have something to say about the physical specimen aspect of Tuck's comment, but will, no doubt, appreciate the rest.
Tuck has become close friends and something of a mentor to Mack. He sees not only the intelligence and the physical ability behind the young NFL-er's game - he also sees the drive to be great.
"He comes into meeting rooms, he'll call me on Friday night before we come in on Saturday to finish everything going into our game and say, 'I've got a question about this,'" Tuck said. "From my experiences, guys like that are going to be very successful. I don't know what success that includes him to be. I don't know if that's a Hall of Fame guy. I don't know if that's multiple Pro Bowls, I don't know if that's just he's a quality football player.
"But I know for a fact he's going to be successful, because barring injury, I have no problem of saying he has the capability to be one of the best defensive players in this league for a long time."
With Mack as a young, stud building block and Tuck as the veteran, guiding presence, the Raiders have themselves the making of a strong defensive pass rush.
