Anybody who watched the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 would agree: The team has holes everywhere on defense and Raider Nation has been clamoring for the Raiders to pick up some difference makers in this year’s draft. Here are three outside linebackers the Raiders should take a look at.
The Raiders could use any of these linebackers
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
When looking at recent mock drafts, it’s difficult to find a player who would make a bigger impact in the league than Koramoah.
At 6-foot-1, 216 pounds, Koramoah isn’t large in stature, but his explosiveness certainly makes up for it. In his two years starting for the Fighting Irish, he was everywhere. He’s an extremely versatile player who thinks, reacts, and plays with tremendous speed. Those qualities were few and far between on the Raiders’ defense last year.
Koramoah’s speed is on full showcase in this clip. He is able to rush into the backfield to get sacks and a tackle for a loss like this one. His speed completely catches the offensive line off guard. Koramoah is terrific in pass coverage and can be moved to something like a third safety or slot corner role in man-to-man coverage. He really can do it all, and he’s one of the most well-rounded players in the draft.
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Chazz Surratt
Surratt is an interesting character that originally committed to North Carolina as a quarterback. He started seven games in 2017 as a redshirt freshman and was going to be the Tar Heels’ starter in 2018 before he was hit with a suspension for selling team-issued sneakers. Surratt made a brief, ugly appearance in 2018, and then decided to switch to linebacker, a position he played extremely well. He had 115 tackles in his first year at linebacker and started in 11 of 13 games. He had another impressive season, and he quickly went flying up scouts’ draft boards.
https://twitter.com/tarheeltapes/status/1312478719986941952?s=20
Surratt is very new at the position, and when watching him play, it is clear at some points. He’s a very raw prospect who has only played two years in his life at linebacker, so the jump to the NFL will be a little rocky. With that said, if Surratt was so impressive while being so new to the position in college, his ceiling as an NFL linebacker is extremely high. He projects to be a well-rounded player, able to defend the pass while being an excellent tackler. He may be more of a project than other candidates, but selecting Surratt would be a great decision for Las Vegas.
Dylan Moses
One word can be used to describe Dylan Moses; versatile. The Alabama product has spent time at all three linebacker spots and could step in at either of them for the Raiders. He’s a unique athlete who plays with speed. Standing at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, he’s already strong, but his length gives him room to add more weight as well.
nbd Dylan Moses running down arguably the fastest player in the country pic.twitter.com/jKFq99oG5Q
— Tommy (@tmacdraft24) April 30, 2020
Moses’ speed is on full display right here. Moses is such a threat with his speed alone, but he’s got a great football IQ as well and is able to diagnose plays quickly. He has terrific instincts and hits hard and fast. Moses would fit best as the Sam or Will linebacker for the Raiders.
Moses was terrific at blitzing at Alabama, and will definitely be an asset for the Raiders in that regard. Just like the aforementioned prospects, he can defend the pass and is great in run defense because of his instincts and physicality.
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Top Photo: Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports