Inside linebacker possible at No. 24
With success on the field comes lower NFL draft picks. It’s a trade-off every general manager will take.
“The one thing that’s been more difficult, you have no idea who’s coming down at 24,” Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said of his team’s draft spot. “When you’re picking four or five, you can have a clue, a few players that you can pick from.
“The draft is a funny thing. Players that you don’t think may be at 24 could be there sitting right in front of your face.”
Picking 24th on Thursday night should give McKenzie a great opportunity to fill one of Oakland’s biggest needs, a playmaking middle linebacker. You almost have to go to blackand-white film to see the last time an inside linebacker made an impact for the Silver and Black.
Most scouts agree on the top three or four inside linebackers available in the draft, with a couple possibly still there at No. 24 as teams fill flashier positions.
McKenzie, in five drafts, has picked only four inside linebackers — with Ben Heeney (fifth round in 2015) the earliest. But this year, they just might be too good to ignore. A quick look at the top four (plus two bonus targets):
Alabama’s Reuben Foster (6-foot, 229 pounds): He could, surprisingly, be sitting in front of McKenzie’s face if he slides because of an issue with a hospital worker at the combine and then a diluted urine sample. Foster had 13 tackles for a loss last season and won the Butkus Award as the country’s top linebacker.
Raiders fans might scream at memories of another Alabama linebacker — 2010 bust Rolando McClain — but Foster is more explosive.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, however, doesn’t think Foster falls to the Raiders. “I don’t see him sliding all that far. I think he’s a top-20 pick all day long in any draft,” Mayock said. “The interesting thing is Haason Reddick has made up so much ground in this process that the two of them are considered pretty closely together at this point.” Temple’s Haason Reddick (6-1, 237): He has been a fast riser, is more of a pass rusher and had a great Senior Bowl. We’re going to save time and say he won’t be an option for McKenzie (Reddick is the only linebacker among the 22 players the NFL invited to the first-round selection show in Philadelphia). Florida’s Jarrad Davis (6-1, 238): He can run (4.56 40yard), even after missing the last four games last season with an ankle injury. Davis also can finish tackles, and coaches and scouts love his personality and have him pegged as a future leader.
Raiders fans might scream, “Can he cover the tight end?” No, that is not a current strength. But he has loose hips, as scouts love to say, and that should bode well for that part of the job description.
“He had an elite workout at his pro day and I think it just helped solidify everything that you see on tape,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “Good instincts. Very active versus the run. He’s got an extra gear and good take-on skills.” Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham (6-3, 234): He had a nose for the ball in college, but has a lean frame and is not as physical as the first three on the list. Cunningham is versatile, but also has really bad hands — his next interception will be his first since high school. Other possibilities: Ohio State’s Raekwon McMillan is considered the next best inside linebacker, but he plays small despite being 6-2, 240 and is not the name to remember — that’s Alex Anzalone, Davis’ teammate at Florida.
If McKenzie decides to get a much-needed defensive lineman or cornerback in the first round, he might look to Anzalone as his next inside linebacker in the second or third round.
Anzalone (6-3, 241) missed the last five games last year with a broken arm and had shoulder issues earlier in his career. But he looks the part, moves well — yes, loose hips — and also can play any linebacker spot. With his long blonde hair, he stood out at the Senior Bowl, and then showed his physicality and smarts all week at practice, capping off the week with four tackles (one for loss) in the game.
“You saw at (Senior Bowl) practice how gifted he is athletically,” an NFC personnel director told NFL.com. “He just has to prove he can stay on the field.”