Raiders finally go linebacker, make it Marquel Lee
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Linebacker arguably was the Raiders’ most glaring roster need.
And yet, general manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Jack Del Rio did not to rush it.
Since the draft began Thursday, they passed on ex-Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster in the first round. They passed on ex-Vanderbilt inside linebacker Zach Cunningham in the second. McKenzie and Del Rio, both of whom played linebacker in the NFL, again strayed from the position in the third and fourth rounds.
“Both Jack and I know what a good linebacker is supposed to look like,” McKenzie said on April 21.
It must look like Marquel Lee.
The Raiders finally added a linebacker, choosing the former Wake Forest inside linebacker with the 168th overall pick. At least one linebacker figured to come this draft. Lee certainly has the size at the position, a 6-foot-3 and 240-pound prospect who projects to help stop the run and contribute on special teams.
Lee, 21, started 37 of 48 career games at Wake Forest. He totaled 105 tackles, 20 of which were for a loss, with 7 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2016.
This is a start, but the Raiders are not done with the position group yet.
“We’re going to get us a couple, I hope, at some point before we play in September,” McKenzie said in that same pre-draft press conference. “Whether they’re in this draft or post-draft or trade, somebody gets released, we’re going to do everything we can to upgrade our team — every position, including linebacker.”
Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
