10 best players available with pick 109
Two days down and one to go in the NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Raiders have addressed a handful of their needs already, most notably on the defensive line, but still have a few holes to fill heading into the fourth round and the 109th overall pick. Below is a look at the top 10 players still available for the Raiders along with a summary of each prospect’s scouting report.
The rankings below are based on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board.
1) Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
The Raiders have already added two defensive linemen so they don’t need Adebawore, but he’ll be the best player available by a longshot if he lasts to 109. He’s a physical freak who runs a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at 280 pounds and has nearly 34-inch arms.
Full scouting report via Bleacher Report (full report):
He’s also an impressive athlete, as highlighted by the Feldman numbers above. That helps him defend against stretch runs and gives him a special blend of strength and athleticism that NFL scouts and general managers will covet. However, that doesn’t seem to translate as a pass-rusher. Adebawore showed some flashes where he was able to use his physical gifts to take advantage of poor technique or bad offensive line play, but he’s still flushing out a go-to move that he can win with. A lot of that is rooted in his poor use of hands as a rusher.
2) Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State
Jones is a carryover from yesterday’s top players available with the 38th overall pick so it’s a bit of a mystery why he’s still on the board. He’s a massive right tackle who has drawn comparisons to Trent Brown.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
Jones utilizes his unmatched length to his advantage and establishes first meaningful contact on defenders with very good upper-body strength to create immediate stopping power and snap the opponents’ head back. He wins as a run-blocker by covering up and keeping defenders at his fingertips while running his feet to create displacement on double-teams, kick-out and down blocks. His best attribute as a run-blocker is leading on pitches, tosses and sweeps with the snap timing, size and burst to close space, cover up and erase smaller targets. Once Jones gets the upper hand and gets defenders leaning, he is looking to finish through the whistle and send a message.
3) Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah
To be honest, I had a feeling Phillips would slide as he’s small and didn’t test well—5’9” with a 4.51 40 and 4.32 short shuttle times—but he’s worth kicking the tires on and letting him compete as a nickel corner.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
When playing man, he can play from press and off coverage. When playing press, he does a good job of mirroring the receiver, allowing him to declare their routes and quickly getting into his hip pocket. From off coverage, Phillips shows good tempo and leverage, showing off his foot quickness and twitch to get out of breaks and drive on the ball. One of his most impressive attributes is his anticipation and ability to run the routes for receivers. Once out of his backpedal, he does a great job of becoming the receiver and attacking the ball, finishing the play with great hands and ball skills.
Johnson lined up all over the place this past season at Texas A&M and Las Vegas could use a safety. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham covets versatility at the position, making the Aggie an intriguing fit in the desert.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
Antonio Johnson is a defensive back with outstanding length and size for the position. He is a versatile athlete who is used in multiple ways for the Texas A&M defense. He has the ability to play from both zone and man, while also playing over the slot, as a big nickel and as a deep safety. When lined over the slot he does a good job of getting his hands on and disrupting routes; though he struggles with a change of direction and covering shiftier players. Johnson is a long strider with average twitch and needs a couple of steps to get going. When in zone coverage he has the tendency to lose track of threats in his area but when in phase shows the ball skills and timing to play through receivers.
5) Henry To’oTo’o, LB, Alabama
While he’s far from my favorite linebacker in this draft class, To’oTo’o would be a good value pick in the fourth round. He has good speed and can come downhill in a hurry to provide some run support
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
Henry To’oTo’o has an interesting athletic profile. He shows a lot of linear speed that helps him come downhill against the run, and that combined with his fluid hips allow him to carry downfield routes and cover the deep middle in Tampa 2. However, his lateral movement and change of direction are subpar and impact his ability to shift through the trash and cover sharp routes in man.
6) Blake Freeland, OT, BYU
While Freeland has been a left tackle these past two years at BYU, he played on the right side during his freshman and sophomore campaigns and is a good athlete who could make the switch back to play on the other side of Kolton Miller. The Cougar only allowed two sacks in four years in Provo and just 12 pressures in the last couple of seasons combined.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
Freeland gains minimal ground out of his stance as a pass-protector and benefits from a quick passing game with extensive RPOs, screens and chip help from backs and tight ends. He is able to engulf rushers using his towering height and length on RPOs and play-action and uses independent hands to work combination strikes to help stay balanced. On true drop-back passes against widely aligned rushers his footwork becomes problematic as he quickly has to open his hips and drop his outside foot to protect the corner, simultaneously resulting in a narrow base and short corner. Coupled with an upright, high playing style, this leads to a tardy anchor against speed to power with a habit of dropping his head into contact.
If it weren’t for a torn pec that he suffered right before the NFL Combine, Skinner might be off the board already. He could be a good box safety and has great size at 6’4” and 209 pounds to help cover tight ends.
Scouting report via The Draft Network (full report):
Skinner is a physically-imposing defender. He has a rare frame and builds at the safety position. As a coverage defender, he is at his best working downhill as a low-hole safety or robber. In zone coverages, Skinner can sit and squat on underneath routes with the range to trigger downhill to close on them if the QB makes the throw. He plays man-to-man as a big nickel/dime defender, more so against tight ends. Skinner plays off man with the catch technique to square, make contact, and break with the receiving option. As a run defender, he is a physical striker that can deliver jarring hits to ball carriers. He is willing to stick his face in the fire and run the alley to take running backs head-on. I appreciate his ability to read from the second and third levels to locate the football. A great term to describe him is, “hunter”. He tracks the football in motion and works with urgency to get to the spot. He has arm length to stack blocks, peek, and shed to make a play on the football.
8) Nick Herbig, LB, Wisconsin
Herbig is a great player but I’m also not surprised he’s still available. At Wisconsin, he was an edge rusher and a good one at that, but he played below 230 pounds which isn’t going to cut it in the NFL. He put on weight ahead of the combine to get up to 240 pounds, but that seemed to impact his quickness as he ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash.
That’s not a bad time for an off-ball linebacker, which I think will be his best position in the NFL, but it’s not a good sign that the weight gain kept him from putting up a lower number. He’s worth taking a flier on in Day 3 though, as worst case the Raiders would get another potential third-down rusher.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
The Badger would be just fine sticking around the 230- to 235-pound mark and making the switch to an off-ball linebacker position. He’s already shown good instincts versus the run and enough athletic traits to work with in coverage. For the latter, awareness is his biggest issue, and that can come with more time and experience at the position. Herbig would be a good fit as a “Will” or “Sam” linebacker in even fronts. For an odd-front team, he can play in his more natural stand-up linebacker position but needs to be lined up outside a tight end or over the slot receiver with safety help over the top, as he’s going to struggle to hold his ground against offensive tackles as a run defender.
9) Chandler Zavala, G, NC State
The Raiders need help at guard, especially in pass protection, and Zavala has only given up eight pressures over the last two seasons combined, which consists of seven hurries, one quarterback hit and no sacks. He could be a rare player who’s a fourth-round pick but ends up starting as a rookie.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
Zavala is most effective in the run game, where he creates lateral displacement and walls off interior run defenders on tight zone base blocks and wide zone combo blocks. He isn’t overly powerful, but he has good upper-body strength and contact balance to establish quick control before straining and sealing off rushing lanes. Zavala has good footwork and body positioning in pass protection to stay inside-out and square up tight 3- and 2i-techniques with a quick, firm anchor to brace, redirect force up and halt movement. He has a strong clench and grip strength once latched, but his timing and location tends to arrive late and down the middle, which create soft edges against well-timed swipes and chops from wider alignments (Ex: vs. Clemson DT Ruke Orhorhoro). Zavala does a nice job maintaining levels with proper spacing, timing and recognition of basic line games and stunts while providing thump on adjacent rushers when uncovered.
Hodges-Tomlinson is tiny at 5’8” and 178 pounds, but he has a 39-inch vertical to help make up for his lack of height. That helped him lead all FBS corners with 21 forced incompletions last year, and he has the versatility to play inside and outside.
Scouting report summary via B/R (full report):
Against the run, Hodges-Tomlinson is an average, willing tackler who is not afraid to come up and make a play. His high-level athleticism and fluidity allow him to thrive in the open field against ball carriers, yet his overall size and strength limit him. These limitations make him quite an easy block for receivers, often resulting in him being taken out of the play. Although undersized, Hodges-Tomlinson is a very physical corner who is consistently draped over receivers in man coverage. His lack of size creates quite a mismatch with bigger receivers in jump ball situations, which teams often look to attack. While his size is a great hindrance against bigger wideouts, he’s able to rely on his elite athletic traits to mirror receivers and put himself in good positions.
Honorable mentions: Cory Trice (CB, Purdue), Christopher Smith II (S, Georgia), Kyu Blu Kelly (CB, Stanford), Noah Sewell (LB, Oregon), Eli Ricks (CB, Alabama)
Source: Silver And Black Pride
