Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2021 NFL Mock: Heavy on the defense

If you are noticing a theme here, that all the picks are on defense, that is by design of course, as the Raiders struggled tremendously on that side of the ball. A position that was supposed to be a strength with the additions of Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton was not quite a weakness but was not quite a strength either.

In fact, the best linebacker on the Raiders in 2020 was Nicholas Morrow who is currently a free agent. Even if the Raiders bring back Morrow, they will need depth at the position, and a player who has risen up the draft boards is Jabril Cox.

Cox spent the first four years of his college career with North Dakota State, including one redshirt season, and was a highly decorated member of the Bison. After 3 FCS titles and an MVFC Defensive Player of the Year award, Cox moved to LSU as a graduate transfer and played very well for the Tigers.

In ten games with LSU, Cox recorded 58 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defended, and one sack as one of the leaders of the defense. He has intriguing size at 6’4″, 231lbs and he excels in coverage, which is an area where the Raiders have struggled for years.

Cory Littleton was supposed to help address that area but he struggled initially and bringing in Cox could be a better long-term solution.

A strong showing at the Senior Bowl may be enough to elevate his stock to a 2nd round pick, but he is a player the Raiders must have on their draft board at a position where depth is a must.