2020 NFL Mock Draft: Full first-round mock plus all Redskins picks
19. player. 28. . Linebacker. Las Vegas Raiders. Kenneth Murray
The Raiders double-dipping on Oklahoma prospects seems like a real possibility depending on how the board shakes out for them. The team has added a couple of good linebackers in free agency, Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, but they could still use one more impact player at the position to round out the group.
That’s where Kenneth Murray would come in. Murray was highly productive over the course of the past two seasons for Oklahoma, notching at least 102 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks in each of the two seasons. He figures to be a three-down linebacker at the next level.
In a recent mock, I also had the Raiders select Murray. Here’s what I said about his ability in that piece.
"Murray is a great downhill playmaker with excellent instincts and a nose for the football. He knows exactly where he needs to be very quickly after the snap. He has good athletic ability, too, and that helps him play at a very high speed. The one concern with Murray is that he’s a bit overaggressive as he tries to make plays. But that can be corrected with proper coaching if Murray is willing to improve his discipline. And given that he has a great work ethic and seems to love football, he should be able to do that. In short, Murray simply is a football player. And Mike Mayock tends to love those types of players. Murray would fit well next to free-agent acquisitions Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski and help to transform what was previously a weak unit for the Raiders."
That three-man linebacker corps would be scary and would certainly be a long-term solution at the position for Jon Gruden.
If the Raiders don’t go linebacker here — a possibility considering what the team did in free agency — they could choose to address another one of their weaknesses, cornerback. Guys like Kristian Fulton, Trevon Diggs, and A.J. Terrell all could be in play here but the Raiders would probably be better served moving down a few spots if they want to grab one of them or if they don’t have a preference.