Josh McDaniels didn't do everything right, but he valued a player's availability nearly as much as any other attribute. That led to the Las Vegas Raiders signing Robert Spillane last offseason, as their previous linebacker missed multiple games due to injury.
McDaniels' appreciation of a player's availability may have landed the Raiders their linebacker of the future in Spillane. In his first season with the Raiders, Spillane finished 10th in the National Football League in tackles this season, with 148 tackles.
Spillane had built a reputation with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a tough linebacker who played many plays. Often, Spillane would play nearly every play of the game when he started games for the Steelers. However, Spillane did not receive a legitimate opportunity to be a full-time starter.
In Las Vegas this season, Spillane anchored a defense that lacked many household names yet finished the season near the league's top in many statistical categories. Spillane and Divine Deablo turned out to be a solid duo in their first season together after it was initially thought they were one of the team's weak spots.
While Spillane proved he could be an every-down linebacker, Deablo proved he could withstand most of a season at the linebacker position after converting to linebacker from a defensive back and missing a large portion of the 2022 season with an injury. Deablo's unique combination of size and speed paired well with Spillane's physicality.
However, Las Vegas holds the 13th pick in this year's NFL Draft, and while many want them to trade up for a quarterback, they are in a prime position to have one of the top linebackers in the draft fall right to them without them having to trade away draft picks to get him. The Raiders could stay where they are in the draft and still improve their defense and, therefore, their team significantly.
The Raiders now know they have a solid trio of linebackers in Spillane, Deablo, and Luke Masterson. However, with a former NFL linebacker as their head coach and an already improved defense, the Raiders' defense would become even more formidable if they added a quality linebacker or two.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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