Las Vegas Raiders pre-2021 NFL Draft position review: Linebacker
By Nick Bailey
Las Vegas Raiders pre-2021 NFL Draft position review: Linebacker
Cory Littleton
Cory Littleton was one of the prizes of free agency last season, and with the Raiders linebacking core needing major improvement for the last decade, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock pulled no punches getting their guy. The Raiders signed Littleton to a three-year/$35 million deal with a whopping $22 million guaranteed, and most of Raider Nation was hyped up for that signing.
Unfortunately, it just was another example of winning in the offseason not being realized on the football field. Being an undrafted free agent in 2016, he earned his way onto the roster on special teams, before becoming an elite player on the defensive side of the ball.
When it came to his performance last season, he looked like a shell of himself, missing tackles, being way below his average in pass coverage, and just looked like he was thinking way too much while on the field a lot of that had to do with Paul Guenther’s system.
That’s why I don’t fully blame Littleton for what happened last season, but he’s got to prove it this season, and with Gus Bradley professing that players can play much faster in his system, we could see a dangerous Cory Littleton on the field next season. If that’s true, he could be the true difference-maker.