Oakland Raiders: 7-Round 2018 mock draft pre-Combine
By Randy Gurzi
Round 3: Christian Sam, LB, Arizona State University
The Raiders do well for themselves with their first two picks and hope to continue the streak here. Entering the 2018 offseason, they have a bit of a need at linebacker. That need only grows should they be unable to retain linebacker NaVorro Bowman who they picked up after he was cut by San Francisco last season.
The player they get to add to the mix is Christian Sam out of Arizona State University. Technically a junior, Sam missed all but one game in 2015, so he spent four seasons with ASU. He broke out in 2015 when he had 96 tackles and an interception.
After getting healthy again before the 2017 season, Sam showed no signs of being affected by the time off. He recorded a career high 127 tackles to lead the team and showed he can be disruptive behind the line of scrimmage with 9.5 tackles for a loss.
Should they keep Bowman and add Sam to the mix along with Bruce Irvin, the Raiders could have a really talented group of linebackers for new coach Jon Gruden to work with. They’ve been working for a while on revamping this defense and a guy like Sam could go a long way towards them making big strides.