The 2020 NFL Draft is complete after a strange three day journey through the virtual draft process. Much like last year, the Las Vegas Raiders looked to the University of Clemson for talent.
This year, the Raiders drafted Clemson safety Tanner Muse in the third round as well as offensive lineman John Simpson in the fourth.
While Muse played safety in college, it appears that he will be in for a shakeup in the pros. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock stated that due to his football IQ, he hopes Muse will see time at linebacker as well. According to Raiders.com, Mayock was impressed by Muse’s linebacker knowledge during their Zoom meeting:
“Tanner Muse knocked his Zoom meeting out of the park,” Mayock said after the draft on Friday. “Muse played safety and we questioned him for an hour on linebacker fits and he knew every one. … We think he’s one of the smartest and most intuitive players in the draft and we expect him to learn both positions in addition to playing special teams.”
Linebacker was easily one of the Raiders’ weakest positions last season. While adding Muse could make an interesting addition, the Raiders added a premier linebacker talent in Cory Littleton during free agency.
During Muse’s fifth and final year at Clemson, he managed to grab four interceptions in addition to his three pass defenses and 36 solo tackles. He will be rejoining his former Clemson teammates Clelin Ferrell, Trayvon Mullen and Hunter Renfrow, hopefully making his transition to the NFL a bit easier. Of course, he cannot make any kind of transition until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has allowed for professional sports activity to resume in full.
As for making the change to a new position, the task should be easier than it sounds. As Mayock mentioned Muse already knows about linebacker sets and will also have the benefit of playing alongside Lamarcus Joyner, who has played a number of different positions during his time in the NFL. Being the leader of the Raiders secondary, Joyner should play a heavy hand in helping Muse adjust to his new position.
Muse will not be the only multi-positional rookie joining the Raiders. The team also drafted Lynn Bowden, who spent time as a wide receiver, running back, quarterback and returns specialist during his three years at the University of Kentucky. Mayock believes that Bowden will be a “joker” in Jon Gruden’s offense, doing a little of this and that.
