Las Vegas Raiders defense can benefit from drafting Alabama LB Dylan Moses
By CJ Errickson
Unfortunately, the Las Vegas Raiders still require major assistance on the defensive side of the football heading into 2021. Recently, Las Vegas hired former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to presumptively end the defensive woes.
General Manager Mike Mayock stated last week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl that Bradley will inherit a defense that lacks playmakers.
"“The way we look at it, or at least the way I look at it, is last year we did not have a dynamic playmaker at any level. That’s hard when you go in a game every Sunday and they don’t have to specifically game plan for any one player.” –Upon Further Review"
The linebacker position is no exception to that statement, as it has been full of stop-gaps and underachievers since Jon Gruden returned to the organization in 2018. Last season, the team was finally able to acquire a foundational linebacker who proved his worth in Nick Kwiatkoski, but help is still needed.
Kwiatkoski was one of the lone bright spots on the team’s defense last season. Contrarily, 2020’s other free agent signing at the position, Cory Littleton, did not yield the same success. Littleton led the NFL with a 17.2% missed tackle rate among those that started 14 or more games.
With that being said, the 2021 NFL draft offers a myriad of talent at the linebacker position. Subsequently, Alabama’s Dylan Moses can provide the team with stability in a few major ways.