Welcome to an offseason edition of the Raider Ramble Roundtable, where some of the Ramble’s finest contributors and guests will bring you their thoughts on all the rumblings, rumors, stats, and Raiders news.
For this edition, we have Mario Tovar, Carlos Sanchez, Ryan Holmes, and a guest, Twitter user, Snitch Plissken. Our panel will be stating their case for who the Las Vegas Raiders should select with their first-round selection. Let’s take a look at who the Silver and Black should call upon with the 17th overall pick in April.
Related: Should Raiders Really Go With Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye?
With the 17th pick, the Raiders select…
(Rholm22) Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
Bradley runs a 4-3 under front so Raiders will need a bigger, physical outside linebacker who can set the edge on the strong side. The Sam will align on the end of the line of scrimmage, outside the strong side defensive end.
This player will have curl/flat zone responsibilities in Cover 3. Collins provides that along with the ability to rush the passer off the edge (Leo) in nickel/dime packages. He’s the versatile front-seven player the Raiders lack. Option B for this type of player would be Joseph Ossai from Texas.
(@SnitchPlissken) Trevon Moehrig, S, Texas Christian University
The Raiders need a playmaking safety who excels in pass coverage but also has the speed and size to reinforce the run game and this young bloke is exactly that. Moehrig hits like that morning cup of tea.
Moehrig has the speed, range, instincts, and ball skills to be an excellent center fielder and his antics at TCU earned him the nation’s top defensive back award. If the Raiders do deploy more Seattle Cover 3 concepts, Moehrig is the safety who can make it work.
(@_MarioTovar) Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Let’s face it, the Raiders will end up selecting a cornerback in the first round. With Patrick Surtain II off the board by then, the Silver and Black will go with Jaycee Horn. He’s arguably the second-best corner in this class and the Raiders would be doing themselves a favor by picking him up.
Horn’s strength is covering receivers on the outside. He possesses excellent tackling skills and makes the most of his body despite measuring six-foot-one. He’s also scrappy, battling receivers at the line of scrimmage, has some very active hands, and is constantly making plays. These are traits that would serve him well in a Raiders uniform with a new scheme coming under Gus Bradley.
(@HaeruHariken) Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
The Raiders have so many holes on both offense and defense that it wouldn’t be surprising if they went offensive line or wide receiver in the first round. However, their defensive line underperformed in 2020, and instead of them waiting for their current players to step up, they should add a defensive tackle prospect with the 17th overall selection.
Barmore was dominant for the Crimson Tide in 2020 and while Las Vegas could go with a linebacker prospect such as Zaven Collins or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, they already have Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton in place. The former thrived this past season while the latter should do better under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
You May Also Like: Raiders Should Avoid Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
*Top Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
It’s hard to say, depends on who is available. I’m not a strict believer in BPA, but do think that it’s usually a good idea to select from the BPA from a range of positions of need, especially in the first round. For the Raiders in the first round I would exclude QB, WR, TE, C, and DE, the latter not because they are so great at the position but because the need at the other positions is so high. Then take the BPA that falls to 17. Last year the pick would have given them Wirfs and a franchise tackle they could bookend with Miller and save $20 mill/yr after last season, rather than what looks likely to be a reach bust in Ruggs.
But Grudock always seems to fall in love with the reach or unique player and wants to show everyone they are the smartest coach / GM in the NFL so we end up with bad picks in the first.