Senior Bowl: Four Day 2 prospects Raiders fans should keep an eye on
Cameron Brown, OLB, Penn State: South Team
Just like the wide receiver position, linebacker is one of the biggest positional needs for the Raiders as they look reverse their defensive woes heading into this new decade and new location. More importantly they need to find linebackers who are versatile enough to cover backs and tight ends and be able to work the field sideline to sideline.
Insert Cameron Brown. The Penn State product boasts an impressive 6-5 235 lb frame, which bodes well for a defense that has to cover Travis Kelce, Hunter Henry, and Noah Fant two games a season a piece.
His biggest bright spots are his size and speed. At Penn State they moved him around a lot, mainly when it came to coverage. He was asked to cover tight ends and occasionally receivers in the slot.
A lot of analyst however worry about his weight as a OLB in the NFL. So putting on some weight to be able to come downhill and make tackles in the run game would go a long way for him once hes on an NFL roster.
The Raiders are expected to go with a linebacker with one of their first round picks as well, but with how bad the group played in 2019 they can use all the help they can find. Even though they are also expected to fill the position through free agency, it would be hard to pass on a talent like Brown if he was available when the Raiders were picking with any of their three 3rd round picks.
Next. Recapping the 2019 Oakland Raiders: Quarterbacks. dark
With the future of the position transitioning to player types that are faster sideline to sideline and more reliable in coverage, this would be a great value pick in reshaping the position group. As it seems to be more and more unlikely that the Raiders are able to land a generational talent like Isaiah Simmons, look for them to keep an eye on Cameron Brown this Saturday during the senior bowl, and his stock as day 2 rolls around draft weekend.