Silver And Black Pride
While a lot has been made about the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2025 NFL draft class getting little to no playing time this season, one rookie who saw the field a lot against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football is defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway.
According to Pro Football Focus, the South Carolina product recorded 38 total snaps in Week 11. However, outside of a fumble recovery, Hemingway had a quiet night by not even recording a tackle. To make matters worse, he received an ugly 28.0 grade from PFF due in part to having a missed tackle and failing to log a pressure on 17 pass-rush snaps.
So, where can the rookie improve moving forward, and were there any encouraging reps against the Cowboys? Let’s flip on the tape and find out.
While the rep above isn’t too impressive and Maxx Crosby is the catalyst that makes this play happen, there are a couple of positive takeaways for Hemingway.
The Cowboys run a play-action pass where he’s defending the run initially before recognizing the play design and shifting gears to being a pass-rusher. Then, he does a good job of working the left tackle’s hands to break free around the edge and shows off some impressive hustle to go recover the fumble on the other side of the field.
The defensive line is put at a disadvantage by the play design, but the rookie found a way to be effective and play a part in the turnover. Also, using his hands like this will pay off and lead to more wins down the line.
Hemingway is inconsistent with his use of hands as a pass-rusher, though. He’s often late and allows the offensive lineman to make the first significant contact, which allows the right tackle to control the rep and prevents the defender from being able to work a move here. As a result, Hemingway ends up chest-to-chest with the right tackle and can’t get on the edge.
That being said, I do appreciate how he tries to work the tackle’s hands after contact on this rep.
In the running game, taking on double teams was one of the former Gamecock’s biggest weaknesses in college, and it continues to be a big work in progress. Part of the issue is his pad level as he stands up out of his stance. Then, Hemingway’s hands are low and too wide at the point of contact, which exposes his chest and allows the left tackle to stand him up even more. So, the left guard’s job is easier, as the guard pushes Hemingway out of the B-gap and to the top of the numbers.
This time, Hemingway is lined up at 3-technique. We’ll see the same issues with his hands, exposing his chest and allowing the right guard to lift his shoulders. Also, Hemingway’s base is too narrow here, which is why he goes from the A-gap to nearly the C-gap when the center makes contact with him.
Granted, it doesn’t help...
