Maurice Hurst Jr.


Maurice Roy Hurst Jr. is an American football defensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League. He played college football at Michigan.

Early years

Hurst grew up in Canton, Massachusetts where he was raised by his mother Nicole Page. He is the son of former New England Patriot Maurice Hurst He graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts where he was a three-year starter for the varsity football team, playing on the varsity team as a freshman. Hurst was a two-time first-team all-state player in Massachusetts during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and participated in the 2013 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.

College career

In 2014, Hurst earned his first varsity letter after appearing in seven games. On October 15, 2015, the Maxwell Football Club added Hurst to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. On September 24, 2016, Hurst was a Pro Football Focus College Big Ten Team of the Week honoree for his six tackles and 1 sack performance against Penn State. Hurst garnered Academic All-Big Ten recognition in 2014 and 2015.
During the 2017 season, Hurst set a career high in tackles with 59, while his 13.5 tackles for loss ranked sixth in the conference. Following the 2017 season, Hurst was named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team by both the coaches and the media.

Professional career

Hurst was invited to the 2018 NFL Combine, but could not participate after being diagnosed with a heart condition. Despite the condition, he was cleared to play football and participate in Michigan's pro day.

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

2018

Hurst was projected to be anywhere from the top 5 to a mid first-round pick, but due to his heart condition, his draft stock plummeted. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In Week 2 of his rookie season, he recorded his first career sack against the Denver Broncos.
In Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, Hurst sacked quarterback Baker Mayfield in a 45-42 overtime win.
In Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hurst made his third sack of the season off quarterback Philip Rivers in a 20-6 loss.
In Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals, Hurst sacked Josh Rosen in a 23-21 win.
He received an overall grade of 72.4 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 46th highest grade among all qualifying interior defenders.

2019

In week 5 against the Chicago Bears, Hurst sacked quarterback Chase Daniel twice in the 24–21 win.
In week 9 against the Detroit Lions, Hurst recovered a fumble lost by Matthew Stafford in the 31–24 win.
In week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hurst recovered a fumble forced by teammate Maxx Crosby on Ryan Finley in the 17–10 win.
In week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, Hurst recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Ryan Tannehill and made a 55 yard return during the 42–21 loss.