Raiders 7-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas selects a QB
By Alex Perl
Raiders 7-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas selects a QB
Round 4: Pick 126
- Jalen Graham: Purdue – LB
A new defensive scheme will be implemented within this defense. The Raiders hired Patrick Graham as their new defensive coordinator to revamp and improve their defense, which is a part of a completely brand new staff.
In free agency, the Raiders have done a somewhat adequate job of bringing in players at the linebacker position. Micah Kiser, Jayon Brown, and Kyler Fackrell have all been brought in to fix the Raiders’ issues at linebacker, which has been the case for years at this point.
The Raiders did have a Pro Bowl selection at linebacker last season in Denzel Perryman. However, outside of Perryman, the linebacking unit was by no means a strength for this defense.
Jalen Graham is not the biggest guy when it comes to the linebacker position. He came into Purdue University weighing in at under 200 pounds and did not have a true position.
Graham has turned into a reliable linebacker and now is weighs in at over 220 pounds. What he lacks in ideal size at the position, he makes up for with instincts and speed.
He may not come into the season as a starter, but he would surely take away snaps from some of these veterans, as they are placeholders and should not likely be considered long-term solutions with the linebacking position.
Graham would be an ideal candidate to use in this new defensive system, as his speed will allow him to be able to occasionally be used in blitzing situations, and he will also be able to cover ground that even the Pro Bowl selection in Perryman cannot. Speed kills, and this is an area the Raiders have lacked for years at the linebacker position.
If Graham is available at this point in the draft, his upside is something the Raiders should buy stake in.