Scott Gulbransen
Raider Nation has sat through scheme changes before — every new coaching staff brings a new identity, a new buzzword, a new set of promises. Most of them didn’t mean much. This one is different, and I mean that in a very specific way.
Klint Kubiak stood at a podium at the NFL Combine on Wednesday and confirmed what many people had been speculating about since Rob Leonard was hired as defensive coordinator. The Raiders are moving to a 3-4 base defense. Done. Official. It changes everything about how you evaluate this roster, how you approach free agency, and most importantly for this week, how you watch edge rushers at the combine.
Here’s why that matters right now.
In a 3-4, your edge rushers aren’t just pass rushers. They’re outside linebackers who have to set the edge against the run, drop into coverage occasionally, and still get after the quarterback. It’s a different job description. Maxx Crosby can do all of it, and he’s one of the few players in the league who genuinely can. But the guy lined up opposite him? That room is empty right now. Leonard needs a bookend. The combine this week is where that search starts in earnest.
Here are five edge rushers you should watch this week at the NFL Combine and read up on before the NFL Draft.
Rueben Bain Jr. | Miami
Bain is the most physically imposing pass rusher in this class and it isn’t particularly close. Thick, powerful, plays with leverage and violent hands, and recorded 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss for a Miami team that went to the national championship game. The knock on him — and scouts are talking about it this week — is arm length. Short arms on a 3-4 outside linebacker can cause problems at the point of attack against NFL tackles. Watch how he measures on Thursday when the official numbers come out. If the arms are fine, he’s a top-five pick and gone before Las Vegas sniffs him. If the numbers raise questions, there’s a scenario where he falls just enough. In a 3-4 scheme that asks its edge guys to be more than just designated pass rushers, Bain’s run defense is actually a selling point. He sets an edge better than anyone in this class.
David Bailey | Texas Tech
The pure speed-to-power combination Bailey brings is the best in the draft. Fourteen and a half sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss last season. His first step is almost unfair — he’s off the ball before tackles have processed the snap. The question scouts are asking isn’t whether he can rush the passer. Obviously, he can. It’s whether he’s a three-down player in a scheme that demands it. A 3-4 outside linebacker in Leonard’s system, which blends Brian Flores and Mike Macdonald influences, needs to be reliable against the run before he becomes a pass rush weapon. Watch Bailey in the one-on-one drills and pay close attention to how he uses his hands. Power rushers who can bend and redirect tend to translate better to the 3-4. Bailey might be that guy.
Cashius Howell | Texas A&M
Twenty-five sacks and 33 tackles for loss over the last three seasons. That’s not a misprint. Howell doesn’t get the same attention as Bain and Bailey because he doesn’t fit the prototype (he’s not as big, not as long), but the production is undeniable and the bend around the corner is legitimate. In a 3-4, a smaller but explosive outside linebacker who can rush from a two-point stance is genuinely valuable. Macdonald’s defenses in Baltimore regularly used that type of player. Watch his 40 and explosion numbers. If he runs faster than expected, there will be teams moving him up boards quickly. The Raiders’ brass knows this scheme. They’ll know exactly what to look for with Howell.
T.J. Parker | Clemson
Parker had a rough 2025. Clemson’s defense as a whole struggled, and his numbers dipped from his outstanding 2024 season. Eleven sacks and six forced fumbles in 2024 tell you what the ceiling looks like. The power in his game is real. He stacks and sheds better than anyone in this class, sets a hard edge against the run, and his hand usage is advanced. For a 3-4 scheme that asks outside linebackers to be stout on early downs before rushing on third, Parker profiles well. The combine is his chance to remind people what his 2024 tape looked like. Watch the hand drills and one-on-ones. Power rushers show themselves there.
Arvell Reese | Ohio State
Daniel Jeremiah has Reese ranked third overall in the entire draft class. Third. Not third among edge rushers — third overall. Ohio State used him all over the field, off the ball at linebacker, on the edge as a rusher, as a spy. That versatility is exactly what Leonard’s hybrid 3-4 is going to demand. He’s fluid, explosive, and plays with an instinctiveness you can’t coach. The challenge is projection. Because he did so many things in Columbus, there are real questions about what his NFL role looks like. The combine interviews and position workouts this week will go a long way toward answering that. If teams come away convinced he can be a true edge in a 3-4, he might not make it out of the top five. Watch him closely in every drill, not just the pass rush ones.
The 3-4 announcement changes the entire calculus for how we evaluate this Raiders draft class. It’s not just about finding guys who can rush the passer anymore. Leonard needs athletes who can play the run, hold up at the point of attack, and still be a nightmare for quarterbacks on third down. This week in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, that search is officially underway.
