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5 positions the Oakland Raiders won’t draft in 2019

By Jordan Alexis

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 24: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass against the Denver Broncos during the first half of their NFL football game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 24: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass against the Denver Broncos during the first half of their NFL football game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – SEPTEMBER 22: Devin White #40 of the LSU Tigers returns a fumble as Teddy Veal #9 of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defends during the first half at Tiger Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – SEPTEMBER 22: Devin White #40 of the LSU Tigers returns a fumble as Teddy Veal #9 of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defends during the first half at Tiger Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Linebacker

I know plenty of fans including myself have been hoping for the Raiders to invest in the linebacker position, but the more I look into the draft, the weaker this linebacker group seems. The best player is Devin White out of LSU, but even he has some concerns in terms of tackling and ability to process plays.

The next crop of prospects like Mack Wilson and Devin Bush is intriguing, but after that, there is not a lot to like.

In terms of team building, linebackers are the least valuable ones on the defense most time. Pass rusher and secondary are crucial in today’s game and without those, it doesn’t matter how good your linebackers are. Paul Guenther has expressed in the past that he does not prefer to spend high draft capital on linebackers and if you’re not getting one of White, Mack or Bush in the first/early second round, there is not much point in drafting a linebacker this year.

The best route for Oakland is to be aggressive in free agency if they feel the need to upgrade the position.

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