The Oakland Raiders this past season had a terrible showing. They went 4-12 on the season and had absolutely no depth in their front seven. Their defense allowed 29.2 points every game. Pro-Football Focus had them ranked last in every single defensive ranking.

Head coach Jon Gruden desperately needs some pass rushers off the edge. He traded away Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears before the season even started. Mack's impact at the point of attack was sorely missed.

This NFL offseason the Raiders come in with a lot of cap room. They have around $71 million to work with, which should be able to land them a few veteran defensive linemen to shore up the depth there.

Their number one target should be Jadeveon Clowney. The fifth-year pass rusher is one of the best in the entire league. For the Houston Texans last season, he had nine sacks as well as 47 total tackles and 16 tackles for a loss. The three-time pro-bowler worked very well next to J.J. Watt and is now a free agent.

Clowney would fit well with the Raiders regardless of the defensive scheme. His size at 6'5″ 255 allows him to play outside in a 3-4 as well as off the edge in a 4-3. He's versatile and can even play in coverage a little bit, covering tight ends or receivers in short routes.

Clowney might cost nine figures over many years. He's only 25 years old and hasn't even hit his prime. As he becomes smarter and is put into a situation to succeed, he could very well hit double digits in sacks. He's a very talented athletic pass rusher. Hey, may even be looking to be the best on a team, instead of staying in the shadow of J.J. Watt in Houston.

Gruden has a lot of work to do. He has to rebuild his team from the bottom up. The best way to do that? To start from the trenches. Clowney would be an excellent addition to start.