The Raiders badly needed to add to their pass rush after trading Khalil Mack last season. And they did just that in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
With the No. 4 overall pick, the Raiders selected star edge rusher Josh Allen out of Kentucky.
Josh Allen
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Position: Outside linebacker
College: Kentucky
Height: 6-5
Weight: 262
Selection: First round (No. 4 overall)
Scouting report
Allen was a very good player as a junior who could have declared for the NFL draft and likely been a second- or third-round draft pick. Instead, he bet on himself and now he lands at the top of the draft.
Jim Nagy, former Seahawks scout and current executive director of the Senior Bowl, called him the most-improved player in college football. Allen recorded a nation-high 17 sacks and swept the major college Defensive Player of the Year awards. Allen committed himself to become a great player, and the results spoke volumes. He added bulk to a lean frame and did not lose any of his agility and explosion.
NFL
Allen is an outside linebacker who can cover tight ends and transition to an elite pass-rusher.
“Very fluid athlete with body control. . . Abnormally comfortable when dropping into coverage,” says draft expert Josh Norris of Rotoworld and NBC Sports.
Projected role
Allen isn’t a perfect scheme fit for the Raiders, who run a 4-3 base defensive with bigger ends who play with their hand in the dirt. Allen is projected more as a 3-4 outside linebacker rushing off the edge, though he could play strongside linebacker – he can cover well in the passing game when asked – in the base defense and would move up front in sub packages.
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He’s excellent creating pressure off the edge, something the Raiders are desperate to add. He’ll be expected to step in as a three-down player ready to make an instant impact.
What they’re saying
“I would say Khalil Mack and Von Miller. I say that because they’re both the best at the position and I feel I’m the best so I feel I should compare myself to the best. I feel my game symbolizes both of theirs” – Josh Allen on which players he compares himself
“Being in the NFL for six years, one of the most undervalued aspect is being a team guy. And to have the talent he has, the work ethic he has, the burning desire to be great that he has, on top of the person he is, he’s the whole package” – Brad White, former Colts linebackers coach and current Kentucky defensive coordinator
“If you like what you see on the football field, you’re going to absolutely love him in the locker room and in your community” – Mark Stoops, Kentucky head coach