Las Vegas Raiders pre-2021 NFL Draft position review: Linebacker

With the 2021 NFL Draft kicking off at the end of the month, we take a look at the Raiders linebacker group heading into the first round.

In the 2020 offseason, no position group got more of an upgrade or more hype than the Las Vegas Raiders linebacking group.  With the additions of Nick Kwiatkoski from the Chicago Bears and Cory Littleton from the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders seemed destined to finally get better at a position that has been a major issue.

Yet the linebacker that played the best this past season was actually Nicholas Morrow, who earned himself one more season with the Raiders after resigning this offseason to a $4.5 one-year deal.

Both of the two new additions had some problems staying on the field, and when they were playing, they mostly struggled in Paul Guenther’s defense.  Every level of the Raiders defense struggled last season, but the linebackers were the most disappointing based on a combination of the previous production, and the amount of money they were paid the last offseason.

With new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley coming into the fold, many are expecting Littleton and Kwiatkoski to play better with a simplified defensive scheme under Bradley.  I expect that too, but we are going to need to see it on the field first because talk just isn’t going to cut it for the Raiders anymore.