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ALAMEDA Tim Brown Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Shortly after being drafted, Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst received a phone call from Jon Gruden. The conversation didn't last long but turned out to be prophetic in several ways.Gruden informed Hurst of the renovation plan for Oakland's defense that was being mapped out by him and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and how much they wanted the former Michigan star to be at the hub of that plan. Gruden also didn't mince words when he explained that he wanted Hurst to be as big of a presence in the locker room as the team hoped he would be on the field.Hurst has managed to do both fairly well, providing a silver lining to a season in which the Raiders defense has otherwise gone nowhere. "He's grown leaps and bounds," Guenther said Friday. "We knew we drafted a good player when we took him and he has not disappointed. He's done a good job in both the run and the pass. He's been able to push the pocket some on third down, so he's going to be a great player for us."Oakland is 26th in total defense behind a pass rush that has generated only 12 sacks through 14 games. Hurst has four of them, the most by a Raiders rookie since Khalil Mack had four in 2014.Whether Hurst can add to his total is uncertain. He has not practiced this week because of a lingering ankle injury that landed him on the inactive list in Week 14.A strong finish to the season, Hurst said, will be key to getting a jump on 2019 as he and fellow rookie P.J. Hall try to form the foundation of the Raiders defensive line."We've done a pretty decent job this year so we just have to try to build on things," Hurst said. "These last couple of games will be big for us. Just keep developing, have a big offseason and get ready for next year."The Raiders were fortunate Hurst fell into their laps. A consensus All-American during his senior season with the Wolverines, Hurst was projected to be a first-round draft pick until being sent home from the scouting combine after tests revealed a heart condition.Hurst was given medical clearance but it didn't prevent the other 31 teams from passing on him. When he was selected with the 140th overall pick, the Raiders were widely criticized by several general managers around the league.It's a gamble that has paid off for Oakland.In addition to leading the Raiders in sacks, Hurst is fourth among all NFL rookie defensive linemen with 31 tackles.Guenther and Gruden both have praised Hurst for his impact in the locker room as well. Hurst, in turn, credits Gruden for giving him an early heads-up of what to expect."I had a good sense of what was going on and what we had on our roster and what we were trying to build," Hurst said. "Sometimes you want to take a back seat but that wasn't really a position I was in. It's something I've taken pride in and what I want to continue to do. He didn't want me to be a normal rookie."Notes: CB Daryl Worley (shoulder) missed his second straight day of practice. . CB Gareon Conley (concussion), center Rodney Hudson (ankle/knee) and TE Lee Smith (back) were limited.Five things to watch in Raiders fourth preseason game vs Seahawks: The final dress rehearsal Last chance, fellas. One more game to show you belong and then let the cards fall where they may. For this one Ted Hendricks Jersey , the Raiders head to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seahawks. And while the game means little to nothing from a win/loss standpoint, it means a whole lot more to some of the players who will be playing in the game.Here are five things to watch:1. Bubble battlesI covered this at length in its own post, including several specific position battles that will be waged on the field (which you can see here). Those battles are the main event in this game. You figure between 15 and 20 players won’t suit up for the game. Of the players who will play, more than half of them won’t be on the roster come Saturday. What their fate will be could be decided in this game. That could be earning a spot on the Raiders roster, or showcasing their talent to get a look from another team.2. OT ready or not?One of the scariest positions on the Raiders roster right now is the tackle spots. Both of them. The first question is whether Kolton Miller and Donald Penn will play in the game. Both are desperate for reps. Miller is a rookie who has been up and down at the left tackle spot and Donald Penn was absolutely lost in his first game at right tackle last week. It seems a no-brainer they should play, but Gruden didn’t dress Miller for the team’s game in LA against the Rams and has said most of the veterans will not play Thursday night.Should they play, we will be looking for considerable improvement from last week. Mostly because they won’t even be facing starters and if you can’t handle backups, how can you be counted upon to handle the elite pass rushers in the AFC West? It is vital that they both show improvement.3. Seabass the SeahawkBrace yourselves, Raider Nation. You’re about to get a long look at Sebastian Janikowski in a Seahawks uniform. The 18-year Raiders kicker has won the kicker job in Seattle. So, while the Raiders are now fielding Ted Mike Nugent at kicker because Eddy Pineiro is out with a groin injury, their steadfast kicker of 17 NFL seasons is kicking for someone else. 4. Who sits from the secondary?Few things are set in stone with regard to the secondary on this team. While every other position group sat their starters in week two against the Rams, the secondary remained relatively unchanged. There are still battles going on there both for roster spots and for positions on the depth chart. If the team sits a player, and it’s not for injury reasons, that’s an indication they have won the starting job or at very least a roster spot. If not, they still have something to fight for. 5. Hidden agendaMany times in final preseason games, a player will dress, but see little to no time. A player some thought had a pretty decent shot at the roster. That’s because the Raiders hope to waive the player but would like him to slip through waivers so they can place him on the practice squad. The last thing they want in this instance is to give that player more visibility and run the risk of that player being scooped up by another team. Follow @LeviDamien