Round 3, Pick 81: EDGE Bradlee Anae, Utah
Edge-rusher isn’t a significant need, but the Raiders can’t ignore their unimpressive pass-rushing numbers from the past season. Although former defensive line coach Brentson Buckner helped improve his unit, Gruden still felt the need to upgrade the position with a familiar face and one of the best position coaches in Rod Marinelli.
The Raiders ranked 29th in quarterback pressures (hurries plus knockdowns and sacks), which is a more accurate gauge of a team’s overall push at the line of scrimmage than sacks alone.
Keep in mind, Benson Mayowa, who ranked second on the team in sacks (seven) will become a free agent. Arden Key showed slight glimpses before he broke his foot but remains an underachiever off the edge.
Clubs should always welcome solid pass-rushers, especially a unit in need of more pressure at the line of scrimmage.
Bradlee Anae comes into the league with a more refined pass-rushing skill set than Key. He’s also bigger, listed at 6’3″, 265 pounds on Utah’s school site. We’ll have official measurements at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the former Ute has the ideal frame of an NFL edge-rusher.
Among pass-rushers, the term bend is the buzzword—the ability to get around offensive linemen, contort the body and move a quarterback off his spot or sack him. Anae possesses that trait. He uses his hands, leverage, and quickness to win matchups.
Unlike Key, who needed major work on his technique coming out of LSU, Anae has a solid set of fluid moves to build upon.
Round 3, Pick 91: LB Jacob Phillips, LSU
Here’s the selection from college football’s reigning champions. Patrick Queen would be an ideal pick in the second round if the Raiders had an early Day 2 selection. With that said, Jacobs Phillips can fill the void at linebacker because of his ability to play in space.
The Raiders should pursue an established middle linebacker like Joe Schobert in free agency and use Phillips on the weak side. He can read run and pass plays with anticipation to make stops on all three downs.
At 6’4″, 233 pounds, he’s a taller linebacker capable of batting down passes in shallow zones. Guenther can use the LSU product’s physical tools to match pass-catching tight ends.
Phillips isn’t an elite linebacker prospect, no one matches Simmons in that regard, but he has tremendous upside because of his athleticism and experience playing in the open field.
The Raiders need someone to sniff out the intermediate routes, track down ball-carriers in the passing game and a fluid defender to limit tight end production. Phillips fits the description.