2020 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile

Name: Nate Landman

Position: Linebacker

School: Colorado

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 232 pounds

Stats

Tackling

To begin with, Landman plays with force and a penchant to rattle the ball carrier. If the ballcarrier slides away, Landman will use proper angling, in concert with a strong grip, pull down and no surrender of yards after contact. When faced up, Landman stay behind his pads, lowering slightly to strike and wrap in one motion. Generating power from his extremities, Landman hits anything in the vicinity.

Coverage

During his tenure in Boulder, Landman drops into short to medium zones. While not twitchy, Landman covers with his eyes. that is to say, je read well and timing his approach to the ball. Granted, you will not see him flying down the seam with tight ends, Landman provides serviceable coverage within the confines of this defense.

Speed

As mentioned, the stopwatch will not do Landman favors. yet, he makes up ground with anticipation and the knack for reading the quarterbacks eyes, capitalizing on lazy routes. On the boundary, he will meet the ballcarrier and stop them before they can generate the burst.

Aggression

As a middle linebacker, Landman plays to contact and loves mixing it up with blockers. He will attempt to win with either a quick swipe or the ability to throw the blocker off balance with great pad lever and aggressive hands.

Raiders Fit

Name a more athletically limited linebacker corp? Can’t. The Raiders look almost helpless in passing situations from the ‘backers. Paul Guenther fancies himself a linebacker expert. yet, in his defense, the roster lacks impact players. Most present little to no agility, remain tight-hipped and lack the fight to knife through the game and make the stop. With decent talent up front, the Raiders fail to get teams off the field, suffering third-down defeats.

Why Landman?

On a defense that needs a massive back-seven upgrade, Landman’s Day Three selection fits. The unit needs a serious tone change. Enough of run-stuffing ‘backers that flail in space and give up chunk yardage to third-string wideouts. Landman realizes the limitations of his ability. As a result, he plays by instinct and gut feeling. Moreover, he arrivces to the ballcarrier with the same nastiness that Paul Guenther appreciates.

Landman will jar the opponent or ball loose. He hits with certainty. Yet, he remains mindful of his surroundings. For this reason alone, a later pick on a depth linebacker that could work his way up the depth chart seems like the smart move for the Raiders.