Heading into the 2017 NFL Draft, despite the 12-4 record in 2016, the Oakland Raiders still had plenty of holes to fill — particularly on defense.
The defense was a mess last season, with very few bright spots. At every level, the Raiders were in need of an infuse of talent. From the defensive line to the linebackers and the secondary, there was no area on defense that didn’t need help.
But one specific positional group had drawn the attention of Raider Nation, and that was the linebacker core. With Malcolm Smith gone and Perry Riley Jr.