Osemele aims to boost Raiders run game: ‘They call me KO'

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The Raiders in the 2016 offseason landed several big-ticket free agents, including one to solidify their strong offensive line in Kelechi Osemele.

Osemele, 27, signed a five-year, $58 million deal in March, and is looking to prove his worth immediately.

Where is he going to do it?

"Right under your chin strap. I’m trying to knock you out,” Osemele told the team's official website.

“They call me ‘KO’ for a reason. They’ve been calling me that for a while, so that really defines who I am as a man," he added. "I’m going to look you in the eye and I’m going to take you down.”

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The 6-foot-5, 333-pound mauler spent his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens after being selected 60th overall in 2012.

Osemele believes his most signficant impact will come in the run game.

“I come from a place where we believe in running the ball, and it’s good to be [in] another organization where that seems to be the goal with what they want to do,” Osemele said.

The Raiders in 2015 finished 28th in the league in total rushing yards, with only Indianapolis, New England, San Diego and Detroit behind them.

Their yards-per-attempt (3.9) also ranked 22nd in the NFL.

“I’m a mauler, that’s what I do. I’m a road grader," Osemele told Raiders.com. "I like to run people over and leave them there flat, so I’m glad to be on a team that is headed that direction.”

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave agrees with Osemele's self-assessment.

“He’s a tremendous run blocker,” Musgrave added. “We’ve seen that on film when he was in Baltimore. [He’s] good in pass blocking. We anticipate his run blocking to help our run game be more productive.”

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