With Malcolm Smith leaving via free agency and Perry Riley not being re-signed, the Raiders will need two new starters at LB in 2017. Their current options on the roster include Ben Heeney, Cory James, and the recently signed Jelani Jenkins.
After Foster, the top linebackers on the PFF board are Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham and Florida’s Jarrad Davis. Cunningham was ranked fourth in run-stop percentage, recording a stop on 14.7 percent of his run-play snaps. Davis recorded 8 total pressures in 31 pass-rush snaps.
Beyond the first round, PFF’s other top LBs onclude Raekwon McMillan from Ohio State and Blair Brown from Ohio.
