2018 NFL Mock Draft: Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen top first round
By Brad Weiss
Cameron Smith
Linebacker, USC
The Oakland Raiders are officially back, and after winning 12 games last season, they are a favorite in a loaded AFC for the 2017 season. Quarterback Derek Carr is one of the best in the business at his position, and has really grown in his three years under center for the Raiders. This franchise used to a consistent winner, and with a player like Carr at the controls, they have a nice window to do something special.
Oakland’s offense is loaded, possessing one of the best wide receiver tandems in the AFC in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Their sixth-ranked rushing offense from a year ago added Marshawn Lynch to the fold this offseason, and their offensive line is the best in the conference. All they need now is to have some better players on the defensive side of the ball, in particular, at linebacker.
One of the more pressing needs on this team is at middle linebacker, where they just cannot seem to get the right player for their system. In order to find someone to fill that role, they do not even need to look out of state, as USC has a dominant middle linebacker named Cameron Smith. Smith has the ability to take over a game from his linebacker position, and plays with the tenacity that Raiders fans come to expect from their team.
Smith is a fantastic player, who has the ability to come up against the run, and drop back into zone well against the pass. The Raiders have to address this need, as they have spent a ton of picks trying to fix their below-average secondary in recent years. The USC Trojans are going to play in a ton of big-time games this season, so Raiders fans will have plenty of opportunities to see their potential future at the middle linebacker position play.