Las Vegas Raiders mocked to land dominant defensive tackle
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and for the first time in a while, they only hold one selection. With the pick, the fan base is hoping that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden attack the defensive side of the ball, and most current mock drafts have them doing just that.
FOr the Raiders, the issue was not the offense this past season, as they ranked in the top-ten in points and yards per game, but the defense finished at the bottom of the league. In fact, they finished the season ranked No. 30 in points allowed per game, and in some weeks, it was downright brutal to watch.
Christian Barmore lands with Raiders at No. 17 overall
In a recent mock draft over at the Sporting News, Vinnie Iyer has the Raiders attacking the defense with the No. 17 overall pick. However, instead of going with a linebacker, as has been popular as of late, the Silver and Black decide to bring in a dominant defensive tackle in the middle of the first round.
The pick in this mock draft is Christian Barmore from Alabama, who dominated the College Football Playoff, and really improved his draft stock. Barmore is the kind of defensive tackle that this Raiders defense is missing, as he is not only solid against the run, but he has no problem getting after the quarterback as well.
interestingly enough, in this mock, Notre Dame star linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is a favorite to land with the Silver and Black is still available when the Raiders pick. He is selected quickly after the Barmore selection, however, going to the Miami Dolphins with the next pick at No. 18 overall.
Both Owusu-Koramoah and Barmore would be players that come in and fill a need for the Raiders, who will hopefully make wholesale changes to the defense this offseason.
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New defensive coordinator Gus Bradley obviously has a lot of work to do, and the hope is that the Raiders focus on the defense in the draft, and in free agency this offseason. There is young talent on this defense, and some vets who have proven themselves before, so hopefully a few new faces and a new scheme can get this defensive unit on track.