JJ Pegues took the shotgun snap against South Carolina and ran right, bowling over an overmatched would-be tackler before twisting back to the left and crashing over the goal line for a first-quarter touchdown last season.

He wasn’t done.

Pegues took another shotgun snap just before halftime and jabbed right before running a counter to the left and coasting in for another short score, one of seven he cashed in last season for Ole Miss.

He showcased the combination of power and quickness that played a big part in the Raiders taking a chance on him with a sixth-round pick Saturday.

Except Pegues isn’t a quarterback. He’s not a running back, either. He doesn’t even really play offense.

Pegues is actually a defensive tackle who proved so valuable as a weapon in Lane Kiffin’s offense for the Rebels that he couldn’t be taken off the field in short-yardage situations, even if that meant sending first-round pick quarterback Jaxson Dart to the sideline.

Offense fuels defense

It was an idea that started when Pegues transferred back to his hometown college at Ole Miss after spending his first two seasons at Auburn. That’s where Kiffin had taken over as coach and remembered recruiting Pegues as a high school tight end when he was an Alabama assistant.

Wanting to take advantage of that athleticism, Kiffin gave Pegues a chance to run a play out of the wildcat formation at practice.

The 310-pound Pegues remembers busting off a 20-yard run and immediately knowing he had a new role.

“Coach Kiffin is a great offensive mind, and he loves to win and he loves to take advantage of anything he can,” Pegues said after he was selected by the Raiders. “So, I give it all to him. Shoutout to him for just allowing me to show that side of what I can do and that ability.”

Pegues gained 17 first downs on 21 carries last season in addition to the seven TDs in an experience he believes also helped him hone his craft as a defensive lineman.

“It’s helped me with my conditioning and just me being in shape,” Pegues said. “And also being able to do different things like slant, redirect and make plays in the backfield just because of my quickness and me playing both sides of the ball.

“… I always played offense my whole life, and I feel like that’s a big reason why I am successful at playing D-line is because the way I can move, bend and things like that.”

That kind of versatility was one of the factors the Raiders appeared to be weighing as the new administration put together its first draft class this week.

But it was clear it wasn’t the only thing new general manager John Spytek, new coach Pete Carroll and their staffs were looking for when trying to bolster the roster with 11 draft picks and a slew of undrafted free agents.

While there are exceptions here and there, the Raiders found guys who had some versatility, had elite measurables like size and/or straight-line speed or some other identifiable trait that can be utilized. There’s also a surprising number of guys who spent four, five or even six years in college.

“Those guys have a proven track record of production and winning,” director of college scouting Brandon Yeargan said.

Academic success, too

This is also a group that by and large excelled in the classroom. It stuck out how many of the prospect bios included mentions of academic honors during their time in college.

“I think it’s a testament to their dedication to what they’re doing as student-athletes and also to their capacity intellectually,” Yeargan said. “We prioritize football intelligence, and I think that’s a reflection of that. And a lot of credit to the guys who have graduated from college, too, seeing that all the way through for four years, three years, whatever that is. I think that’s a testament to their mental toughness to finish that with what they’ve got on their plate from a football standpoint.”

There’s no magic formula to how to select a team or even to predict exactly what each team is looking for at any particular time. There’s also no way of knowing if a draft class is successful or not for at least a few years.

But the appearance of a plan and the execution of one is encouraging. After going against perceived value by taking a first-round running back, Spytek showed discipline and savvy in making several trades to acquire more picks and bring in much-needed reinforcements to a roster badly in need of improvement — and did so at several positions.

It wasn’t as flashy as a 310-pound wildcat quarterback breaking tackles and juking defenders in the open field, but it was prudent and responsible.

That’s what the Raiders needed.

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.