Las Vegas Raiders should invest in defensive end at the Senior Bowl while his stock is down
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to bring back defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and will likely bring back defensive line coach Rob Leonard as well. But, that doesn't mean their defense will look the same as last year. There are around 25 unrestricted free agents on the Raiders 2024 roster heading into the 2025 offseason. […]
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to bring back defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and will likely bring back defensive line coach Rob Leonard as well. But, that doesn't mean their defense will look the same as last year. There are around 25 unrestricted free agents on the Raiders 2024 roster heading into the 2025 offseason.
With all of the holes the Raiders already had on the roster and the new free agents, this new staff will likely want to clean house, a bit anyway. There will certainly be some of the same players as last year on the roster, but there will likely also be a lot of new players, too. And, that could go for both sides of the ball, even the defense which we have seen have some very elite moments the last two years.
When it comes to the draft, we could really see the Raiders target the defensive line. The defensive tackle position was great, with Christian Wilkins being the anchor there before he was hurt, and Adam Butler being a standout player after Wilkins was hurt. But, some of the players in the defensive tackle room are currently free agents.
The same goes for the defensive end position. Guys like Malcolm Koonce are free agents this year, and they could bring him back, sure, but they could also move on from him seeing how he suffered a pretty brutal injury. So, they may draft an edge rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft.
There's one currently at the Reese's Senior Bowl that the Raiders should invest in, especially right now while his stock is low.
Raiders should target Arkansas EDGE, Landon Jackson
Now, Jackson's stock isn't low because he's a bad player. He's one of the best defensive players in the entire draft. He was originally mocked and graded as a first-round player in the 2025 draft class. But, he didn't have quite the season he had hoped for.
Jackson has been a key player for the Arkansas Razorbacks' defense since transferring from LSU. He's known for his high performance, especially in 2023, where he led the team with 44 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks, earning First-Team All-SEC honors. His standout game against Alabama that year, where he recorded 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks, got him named SEC Defensive Lineman and Bednarik Award Player of the Week.
He finished with 6.5 sacks this year, too, but was hoping to improve on the numbers from the year before. However, the Razorbacks had a much better pass rush this year with better rushers around Jackson, rather than it being almost just himself the year prior.
And, his stock is down because there are so many great players at the Senior Bowl that have just exploded onto the scene, like Marshall EDGE Mike Green, and a few others. Now, he hasn't been terrible, or even bad. But, he's had some unfortunate one-on-one reps that didn't go his way. But the potential is there. He's very raw, but man, this kid could be a star in the league. In fact. he has won a lot of his reps, much more than he lost, even in the team setting he stopped a few run plays.
If he were to fall to the second round in the draft, the Raiders should certainly think about snagging him.
