Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders LB Mack tops NFL.com's 'Making The Leap' series

Published Jul. 18, 2015 11:09 p.m. ET

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There's a reason why preseason pundits can't get enough of Khalil Mack. They all feel as if he's poised to make the leap to superstardom.

So it's no surprise that Mack topped NFL.com's "Making The Leap" series, which ranks NFL standouts-to-be.

NFL Media's Connor Orr ignored the lackluster stats from 2014 in his analysis. Going forward, Orr predicts big licks for the Silver and Black's blossoming defender.

Wrote Orr on No. 52: Depending on who you ask, Mack was the best player at his position this past year, and according to Pro Football Focus, there were only a handful of players around the league who pressured opposing quarterbacks more frequently. Unfortunately, Mack is not regularly put in a position where he can fall backwards and catch a football with one hand, so he'll have to live on through those who have watched him star in a middling Raiders defense from a year ago. This year, he will be making the leap to a player that cannot be ignored anymore.

Orr concluded that Mack's 2015 season should end in a Pro Bowl nod. That's music to every Raiders fan's ears.

(h/t NFL.com)