Raiders 2021 7-round mock draft: Las Vegas bolsters both lines early

Raiders 2021 7-round mock draft: Las Vegas bolsters both lines early

Mike Mayock and company did a great job bolstering their linebacker group this offseason, bringing in key free agent acquisitions in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. On Saturday, the team then swung a trade for Miami Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan, and they use the fifth round pick they got in that trade to add another linebacker at pick No. 134 overall.

Joshua Ross from Michigan is a talented linebacker who missed a lot of time in 2019, and was able to retain his redshirt. When he is on the field, he is widely considered by his coaches to be one of the smartest football players on the roster, and has incredible instincts in terms of getting to the ball carrier.

An outstanding tackler, Ross would be a solid guy to bring in and battle for possibly a starting job in Paul Guenther’s base 4-3 defense as a rookie. He is a solid run-defender, and after having to fight his way into the starting lineup at Michigan, the thought was he would be the leader of the defense in 2020 before the Big Ten decided to shut down football for the Fall.