During the 2020 offseason, the Raiders made it a point to invest and upgrade their linebacker play. That is why they went out and spent big money on Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.
To their credit, Kwiatkoski was fantastic, finishing the season as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 graded linebacker. He was great in coverage as only six other linebackers had a higher coverage grade than him this season. Considering it was his first year in the scheme, he played extremely well.
The same can’t be said for Littleton, who struggled all season long. However, with the team going back to a more traditional Cover-3 defense under Gus Bradley, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him turn things around rather quickly. But are the Raiders willing to bet on that? If the answer is no, we could easily see them turn to the draft to find a long-term solution at weakside linebacker.
One possible option is Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was recently mocked to the Raiders in the first round by NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks. Here is what he had to say about the All-American linebacker:
“The Raiders need an infusion of athleticism and playmaking ability on the second level. Owusu-Koramoah is a sideline-to-sideline defender with speed, instincts and big-hit ability.”
Owusu-Koramoah doesn’t have great size (listed at 216 pounds), but we haven’t seen a linebacker enter the NFL draft with his coverage skills in a long time. He can legitimately cover slot receivers and his speed makes him a perfect fit in Bradley’s defense.
If Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden believe Owusu-Koramoah is a significant upgrade over Littleton, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Raiders select him at No. 17. But given all of their needs on the defensive line and in the secondary, it would be a little surprising.
Owusu-Koramoah is certainly an option to monitor for the Raiders in the first round as he couldn’t be a better scheme fit. But positional need and value may force them away from the Notre Dame star.
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