Believe it or not, the Oakland Raiders are finally on the rise. After trotting out the likes of JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell and a host of other wannabes and never-has-beens, the Raiders have found their quarterback of the future in Derek Carr. To help Carr grow as a young passer, Oakland gave him wide receiver Amari Cooper in last year's draft, an emerging star at the position. On defense, linebacker/defensive end Khalil Mack is already a force to be reckoned with, finishing second in the NFL in sacks (15.0) behind only Houston's J.J. Watt last year.
General manager Reggie McKenzie has built up an attractive nucleus of young talent to serve as foundational building blocks for this long-suffering franchise. With this year's NFL Draft kicking off tomorrow, he can continue to add to that core.
The Raiders bolstered their pass rush and pass defense in free agency. Linebacker Bruce Irvin may never have popped as a first-round pick for the Seattle Seahawks, but he has accrued 22.0 sacks in 58 career games. That's good enough for now. Behind him, the additions of Sean Smith at cornerback and Reggie Nelson at safety should go a long way in helping a pass defense that finished the 2015 season ranked 26th in the league.
It is now time to solidify the run defense, and one way to do that is to target Alabama inside linebacker Reggie Ragland in the draft.
Ragland is a tackling machine at middle linebacker, where veteran Curtis Lofton struggled for the Raiders last year. With Lofton turning 30 this summer, now is the perfect time to start thinking long-term in the middle.
Some Raiders fans may still be suffering from the PTSD that All-American middle linebacker Rolando McClain inflicted upon them back in 2010. That's understandable, as the Raiders were certainly burned by that choice. However, Ragland would be put into a completely different situation than McClain was, with talent and infrastructure already in place as a safety net. Oakland wouldn't ask Ragland to be their leading tackler from Day 1, and he could be afforded the necessary time to acclimate to NFL life.
Yes, Oakland has other holes that should be addressed in the draft as well, but Ragland finished his senior year at Alabama with 102 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The guy is a playmaker and, more importantly, a safe choice for a Raiders team that is on the rise.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
