Raiders 2019 NFL Draft Pick Or Pass: Linebackers

Jeff Spiegel
Jeff Spiegel
5 Min Read
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As the NFL Draft looms less than two weeks away, we near the stretch run of our “Pick or Pass” series. Between now and the draft we’ll have two more pieces like this one, followed finally by my Big Board right before the draft.

Today, though, we turn our attention to one of the most difficult-to-predict positions in the entire draft: linebacker. Before Roquan Smith came off the board at No. 8 last season, there had been just one inside linebacker taken in the top 15 going back all the way until 2013 (Hasson Reddick in 2017). While the position remains important once the games start, it appears as if the way teams value the position has changed.

That leads us to this year’s crop of linebackers where we find two guys in the same stratosphere as Smith was last season: Devin White from LSU and Devin Bush from Michigan. Before we break down how each guy would fit with the Oakland Raiders, let’s look at how their measurables compare to one another…

Devin White

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 237 lbs

40-Yard Dash: 4.42

Bench Press: 22 reps

Vertical jump: 39.5″

Broad jump: 118″

College Stats: 34 games, 286 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 28.5 TFL, 1 INT, 4 FF, 3 FR

Devin Bush

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 234 lbs

40-Yard Dash: 4.43

Bench Press: 21 reps

Vertical jump: 40.5″

Broad jump: 124″

College Stats: 32 games, 172 tackles, 10 sacks, 18.5 TFL, 1 INT

To be perfectly honest, it’s hard not to be impressed by everything that you see there. Two middle linebackers with explosive athleticism — all matched by tremendous production (especially in White’s case). So how might these guys fit with the Raiders?

On paper, the Raiders remain desperate for a linebacker who can anchor their defense. Yes, they’ve signed Vontaze Burfict (who is still only 28 years old) and Brandon Marshall (29) — but neither guy is guaranteed to be around in a year. Given where the Raiders are as a franchise, they should be hunting for a long-term solution in the middle of their defense.

That said, where the Raiders are drafting makes the fit a little more difficult given neither guy is likely to last into the 20’s. From my perspective, the dream scenario is Bush somehow falling to No. 24. Is it likely? Not at all — but again, given the weird perspective teams seem to have about middle linebackers (and Bush’s smaller stature), it’s not totally unreasonable. Who knows, maybe Oakland can package some later picks to move up a couple of spots and grab him.

What about White? To be perfectly honest, when we entered this draft process, White was the guy I liked the most for the Raiders at No. 4 — back when the likelihood of a quarterback being off the board at No. 4 seemed low. Now, however, with Kyler Murray the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 pick, it changes everything.

The Raiders are desperate for pass rushing help, and that has to be the team’s top priority. If Murray is gone before Oakland picks, it means either Nick Bosa, Josh Allen or Quinnen Williams is still on the board — any of which would be a slam-dunk, no-brainer.

Which leaves White on the outside looking in. If somehow no quarterback has gone before No. 4 and the Raiders are looking at a board without all three pass rushers? White is up on my board (barring the opportunity to trade back).

VERDICT: PASS at No. 4, SPRINT TO THE PODIUM AND PICK at No. 24

Information

Jeff Spiegel was raised in California but currently resides in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he worked in sports before entering journalism full time — first as a Sports Reporter and then as the Associate Editor of a small newspaper. Online, he has been writing about both the Raiders and Dodgers since 2012 — having written for DodgersNation.com and SBNation.com prior to joining both DodgerBlue.com and RaidersNewswire.com. He left full-time journalism in 2012 to become a pastor. Jeff can be found on Twitter at @JeffSpiegel. Favorite Raider This one is an easy one for me: Charles Woodson. When the Raiders drafted him, there was nothing to dislike about the guy — he was exciting and he was freaking good. Unfortunately, of course, he left after eight seasons — but when he returned in 2013 it was one of the better Raider moments of my lifetime. At that point, I didn't care how washed he was (and he wasn't!) — I just liked having him back in the silver and black. Obviously Tim Brown is another guy that was easy to love, but Woodson is the all-timer for me. As far as current, I'm still a believer in Derek Carr and think he's going to figure this all out. Favorite Raider Moment I think I'll go with the two weeks leading up to the 2001 Super Bowl. As a kid, I remember getting the newspaper every morning to read what they were talking about, clipping out the articles to keep for later. It was obviously far more exciting than the Super Bowl itself, but I'll never forget those moments of hope leading up to the Super Bowl. I referenced it above, but second to that was probably the return of Charles Woodson in 2013 — I just loved the guy, and never dreamed he'd actually come back.