by Cian Fahey

The spotlight isn't something Khalil Mack is used to.

He was an afterthought for the big colleges when being recruited out of high school. According to Rivals.com, Mack was a two-star recruit coming out of high school. He received just two scholarship offers, one from Liberty University and one from Buffalo. After failing to find an opportunity with a big-time college football program, Mack was also slighted by EA sports, who rated him as a 46 out of 100 in their now-defunct NCAA football game. Mack took notice and wore number 46 while playing for Buffalo.

Even when Mack established himself as a top prospect ahead of the 2014 draft, he was still masked by the shadow of other, supposedly more enticing players.

Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, and Greg Robinson were considered the potential generational talents of this class, while Johnny Manziel quickly became the media's favorite character to follow. Mack quietly impressed throughout the draft process and solidified himself as a top draft pick, but he was rarely viewed as the fan favorite or the option teams wanted over any of the other top picks.

Even when Mack was drafted fifth overall by the Oakland Raiders, most of the focus was on the surprise selection of Blake Bortles at third overall and the huge trade that landed the Buffalo Bills Sammy Watkins at fourth overall. Mack went to Oakland, Jake Matthews went to the Atlanta Falcons, and the "rest" of the draft began.

Now, months later, when draft coverage means nothing and players are supposed to be judged by what they do on the field, there may not be a better rookie than Mack.

In fact, none of the four players that went ahead of Mack have a strong case to suggest that they deserve more attention than he does. Clowney has been sidelined through injury, Robinson has been sidelined through performance in the preseason, Bortles is just about to come off the sideline for his first start, and Watkins' effectiveness has been curtailed by both a nagging rib injury and poor quarterback play. Mack, Aaron Donald and Kyle Fuller are the defensive players who have stood out to this point.

Donald and Fuller both have greater statistical production than Mack. Mack has 19 tackles without a sack, but Fuller has three interceptions with two forced fumbles and Donald has one sack while also leading the league in tackles for loss. Mack's statistics may not be on par with those of Fuller or Donald, but his impact certainly is.

As he proved against the New England Patriots in Week 3, he has the talent to disrupt offenses in a variety of ways.

Patriots left tackle Nate Solder hasn't had a good start to the season. Ever since the first week of the season, he has struggled to contain his assignments in pass protection. Still, in spite of his recent poor run of form, Solder is one of the more talented offensive tackles in the NFL right now. Against a rookie such as Mack, he should always be expected to get the better of the matchup. On Sunday, that didn't happen.

On this third-and-4 play, Mack doesn't beat Solder with his first step. Instead, Solder sets up to take away the bull rush or inside move and Mack hesitates off the line. Once Mack recognizes that he can rush the passer, he shows off a second burst of acceleration to whip right past the left tackle and close to the quarterback. Mack doesn't get the sack, but he prevents a first down with his hit.

When you look at this play down the field, quarterback Tom Brady had recognized Julian Edelman breaking free on an out route past the first down marker. While Brady is struggling a lot right now, this is a throw he made on a number of occasions during this game. If Mack had not got to Brady as fast as he did, the pass would likely have been completed and the Patriots drive wouldn't have resulted in a punt from that spot on the field.

On that play, Solder's technique was poor because he overplayed Mack's bull rush from the start. Later in the same quarter, Mack showed us why Solder was so wary of that bull rush.

Mack isn't a reckless pass rusher. He doesn't fly off the ball to ignore his run responsibilities or fail to recognize any potential help his immediate blocker may be receiving. On this play, he is initially hesitant off the ball as he is aware of the running back breaking to his side of the field. After the back commits to a move that takes him away from Mack, the rookie uses his hands to battle Solder before pushing him back into the quarterback.

Just like the previous play, Mack doesn't get the sack. He doesn't even touch Brady this time, but that is because the quarterback got rid of the ball so quickly, and not due to Mack's inability to beat Solder.

As a pass rusher, Mack doesn't have Cameron Wake's initial step or Von Miller's leverage. He doesn't bend the edge at speed like Robert Quinn. Instead, he is a very well-rounded player who can use his strength, speed, or fluidity to deceive the offensive tackle throughout each play. It's very difficult to set up against Mack initially because he can convert speed to power or use his quickness in tight areas to knock you off balance before knocking you to the ground.

The most interesting thing about Mack's impressive pass rushing to this point is that it was widely considered his biggest question mark entering the draft.

Mack was so well-rounded outside of his pass-rushing ability that it was unclear how he would be used. Against the Patriots, he primarily played outside linebacker in a 3-4 look that allowed him to excel. Not only was he beating Solder on a regular basis, but he had a huge impact against the run when the offense ran directly at him or tried to run away from him.

Towards the end of the first quarter, Mack lined up with his hand on the ground as part of a rare four-man front. The other edge defender was standing up, but on the line of scrimmage. Mack's first step suggests that he may have been running a stunt with the defensive tackle just inside of him. However, even if he was, his awareness to immediately recognize the running play and the gap that he could attack to close on Stevan Ridley for the tackle was very impressive.

Ridley gained just 2 yards and was held up by traffic in front of him, but Mack gave the play no margin for error with his speed to close on the ball from behind.

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Mack has four tackles for loss on the season, just one behind a group of three players leading the league with five. One of those came on this play when the Patriots attempted to run right at him. For as long as Rob Gronkowski has been in the NFL, he has given the Patriots constant personnel advantages before the snap. Gronkowski has returned from a torn ACL he suffered last season, and while his receiving ability is hindered, but his strength and technique as a blocker has remained consistent.

Gronkowski may be a tight end by listing, but by most measures he is an offensive tackle when run blocking. Yet, on this play, Mack easily beats him by initially using his hands to negate Gronkowski's power, before showing off his own power and quickness to rip Gronkowski down and close to Ridley in the backfield.

After beating Gronkowski, Mack makes a very impressive ankle tackle in space to cause a 2-yard loss on the play. That play came at the start of the third quarter, but Mack had another tackle for loss for which he wasn't initially credited on the following drive.

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This time it's not Gronkowski who is assigned to block Mack; instead it is Michael Hoomanawanui. Hoomanawanui is a tight end who, like Gronkowski, carries an all-around skill set. Unlike Gronkowski, he isn't the same physical specimen. On this play, Mack is able to sidestep inside of Hoomanawanui before the tight end can get out of his stance, then he knifes past his attempted block to locate the running back behind the line of scrimmage again.

So far, this year's crop of defensive rookies has been very impressive even without Clowney on the field. Mack may not have the sacks just yet, but he is definitely one of the players leading the race to the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

The Oakland Raiders may not receive much national acclaim, but Mack should expect to get used to the spotlight over the coming years if he continues to play like this.