2020 Raiders Draft Profile

Name: Troy Dye

Position: LB

School; Oregon

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 230 pounds

Stats

Speed

Despite his long frame, Dye accelerates like a much smaller player. Meanwhile, the wide strides helps him cover ground. On top of that, that burst, allows him to slip through gaps to stop the ballcarrier, as his 38.5 TFL at this writing attests. In space, Dye takes sure, practical angles to the ball that take full advantage of his speed.

Agility

With an adequate hip flip and balance, Dye’s nimbleness is one of his underrated tools. His feet do not cross laterally, despite the needs to stop/start. Dye can run out of any potential issues in play misdiagnosis.

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Tackling

Nothing about Dye’s game should remind anyone of a striker. Dye prefers to catch tackle and secure the basic stop. He breaks down well, dropping his hips and using his legs to drive the opponent. At the next level, Dye needs to use his speed to make more of an impactful hit while wrapping up. By adding weight without sacrificing acceleration would give him a leg up. Until Dye fills out, he must avoid getting caught in he trash while making the play.

Coverage

Playing in the Pac-12, Dye settled into combating spread offenses. Sliding away from the line does not appear to affect him. When Dye drops deep, there is no awkwardly choppy, misdirected steps. Those steps would mark him as an immediate target for the quarterback. Instead, he relies on pure natural talent to get him through, excelling versus the pass.

Raiders Fit

In an era where the Raiders failed to continuously in coverage from linebackers, a player like Dye remains a must. With his ability to trail or stay locked to an opponent, he requires consideration. For far too long, the Raiders lacked flat-out athletic linebackers. Outside of Khalil Mack who remains an elite choice, the team cannot capitalize. Whether Paul Guenther remains with the Raiders or not, Dye could provide an instant infusion of playmaking. Not to mention, his three-down ability should tempt the Raiders. He can play 85-95 percentage of the snaps. On top of that, barring a superhuman combine, Dye profiles as a Day 2 selection. The Raiders own three third rounders.

The only major knock against Dye is something that can be remedied before he takes an NFL field: weight. His frame will sustain at least 10 pounds. That weight may not seem like much, but paired with athleticism will make him a better player.