Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Early FA edition
![ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: A video board displays the text 'THE PICK IS IN' for the Oakland Raiders during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: A video board displays the text 'THE PICK IS IN' for the Oakland Raiders during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fjustblogbaby-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2018-2F04-2F951976438-2018-nfl-draft-jpg-850x560-6ea929909171e4b4d53ac3ee29c906705f0c2d26640fe75b7f408b7a54d56e36.jpg)
Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Early FA edition
. LB. Boilermakers . Jalen Graham. 144. player. 848
Similar to Divine Deablo who is the current Raiders’ starting middle linebacker, Jalen Graham out of Purdue is a tweener who played both safety and linebacker at the college level. Graham measures in at 6-1 and 220 lbs and his performance at the combine suggests that he is a linebacker at the NFL level.
The Detroit native’s athleticism score is on the low end for a safety but the same numbers go from the 10th or worst percentile to average or better for a linebacker. Graham is not an elite athlete by any means but he is a smart and physical player who would bring a high level of physicality to the position.
The coverage skills he showed in college make him a great asset to a linebacker group that is currently lacking in that department. The Raiders currently have some thumpers in Robert Spillane and Deablo but need a guy they can trust to cover tight ends or running backs coming out of the backfield.
Graham can do that at a reasonably high level though he will need to get stronger to hold up against some of the bigger targets in the league.