Linebacker could be Round 1 focus
NAVORRO Bowman’s arrival in Week 7 of last season acted as a wedge in the revolving door that has been the Raiders’ middle linebacker position lately.
Players have cycled through the role in recent years, including Miles Burris, Malcolm Smith, Ben Heeney and Perry Riley Jr. Bowman brought a steadying presence to the position — at least for 10 games.
Now, Bowman, 29, is about to become a free agent. And even if they were to bring him back, the Raiders, who just gave a 10-year deal to new head coach Jon Gruden and four-year contracts to his coordinators, are likely looking for a longer-term solution.
The Raiders, then, are expected to pay close attention to the inside linebacker position both at next week’s NFL combine in Indianapolis and, potentially, in April’s draft — in which Oakland has a top-10 pick in the first round.
Two linebackers generating top-10 buzz are Tremaine Edmunds of Virginia Tech and Roquan Smith of Georgia. On a conference call last week, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., said: “Either one of those players, Edmunds or Smith, would be exactly what this defense needs and wants.”
Smith won the Butkus Award last season as the top linebacker in college football, recording 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks while helping lead Georgia to the national championship game. Teams will covet Smith’s athleticism and instincts, though some might question whether he’s undersized at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds.
Kiper said he thinks Smith “could be the centerpiece of that (Raiders) defense,” but also touted Edmunds, who had 109 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a junior at Virginia Tech and is listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds.
“I know Jon Gruden always likes those tall inside linebackers — he loved Zach Cunningham last year — and I think Edmunds would get the edge over Smith for that reason,” Kiper said. “He’s taller. So if Edmunds was there, I think I would mark that down as a possibility.”
The question is whether either player, or both, will still be on the board when the Raiders make their pick — something that could hinge partly on a combine development.
The Raiders will either pick ninth or 10th depending on a coin flip with the 49ers that is reportedly scheduled for Friday. Both teams finished 6-10 last season with identical strength of schedule. Depending on how legal issues surrounding 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster play out, the 49ers could also consider drafting at the position.
That uncertainty, a new coaching staff and imminent roster turnover are all reasons the Raiders could look at other areas to address on a defense that ranked 23rd last season in yards allowed.
One stated priority last offseason was improving the interior pass rush, in hopes of freeing up outside rushers Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin. Those two combined for 18.5 sacks, but the inside pressure was inconsistent. Denico Autry, who recorded five sacks, will be a free agent in March along with tackle Justin Ellis. Rookies Eddie Vanderdoes (third-round pick) and Treyvon Hester (seventh) combined for zero sacks. Mario Edwards Jr. (3.5 sacks) remains under contract for 2018.
Creating an inside push may be even more important under new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who rarely blitzed at his previous stop in Cincinnati, preferring to send four rushers. Guenther has said that his idea of a blitz in Oakland is to “get Khalil Mack one-on-one” against an offensive lineman. To do that, the Raiders’ interior linemen will need to take up blockers.
CBS Sports analyst Rob Rang pegged Alabama’s Da’Ron Payne and Washington’s Vita Vea as the top defensive tackle prospects heading into the combine. Rang said he views the 6-foot-5, 340pound Vea as a potential fit for the Raiders, and expects Vea to turn heads in Indianapolis.
“He’s going to test off the charts,” Rang said. “There’s just not that many guys that have that kind of size and can move like he can. He’s the type of player you can build an entire defense around. And when you already have the exceptional pass rush potential that the Raiders have on the outside, that just looks like it could be kind of a match made in heaven.”
Rang also pointed out that the Raiders “historically haven’t shown much of an interest in taking either inside linebackers or defensive tackles in the first round.” Given his focus, Gruden surely will give as much consideration to prospects on offense.
In a radio interview on KNBR last week, Gruden did not limit the Raiders’ need for improvement to one side of the ball.
“We’ve got to improve the talent on this team,” Gruden said. “We’ve also got to put a system in place here that our players can grow within.
“A lack of continuity, a lack of system football on offense and defense, has certainly hurt the Raiders. Hopefully we can put a system in place that we can draft into, develop our players within, and hopefully it can carry us into high levels. We’ve just got to prove it.”