Oakland Raiders: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft to start April

The Raiders have a group of veteran linebackers, featuring Tahir Whitehead, Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall—the latter two signed one-year deals during free agency.

Even though Burfict’s production dropped over the last two seasons, he knows Guenther’s defense because of their shared time with the Bengals between the 2012-17 terms. Marshall, a Las Vegas native, has extra incentive to play for a new contract as the Raiders prepare for their move.

Yet, there’s room for developing talent at linebacker. Terrill Hanks didn’t have an impressive combine. He suffered a hamstring injury during his 40-yard run, which resulted in a 4.98-second finish, but he’s someone to watch on film. Almost immediately, his play speed jumps off the screen.

Hanks can quickly diagnose the action, but he must sharpen his open-field tackling technique. At times, the New Mexico State product needed help bringing down the opposition to finish plays. That particular area of his game should improve once he spends more hours in the weight room and on the practice field.

The former Aggie played safety during his freshman term and flashed sticky hands through four years with eight interceptions. Hanks projects as a weak-side linebacker in the pros, but he’ll likely start on special teams then move into a niche role on third downs to cover tight ends.

Though he’s far from a refined product, Hanks’ skill set suits modern-day defenses that feature athletic linebackers able to play in space.