Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2020 NFL mock draft: Swinging for the fences
player. 815. Pick Analysis. Kenneth Murray. Oklahoma. 1. Scouting Report. LB
After snagging their new franchise quarterback earlier, the Raiders look to find a leader of their defense with their second first-round selection. Kenneth Murray is an extremely talented linebacker prospect who was always around the ball in college. He is a natural playmaker who has exciting upside at the next level.
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Through his three years at Oklahoma, Murray piled up an impressive 325 total tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Murray is an incredibly productive linebacker who was also a team captain for the Sooners in 2019.
Murray is a lean and athletic linebacker prospect who explodes to the ball with impressive speed. His acceleration is incredibly impressive and Murray also has the raw speed to legitimately range from sideline-to-sideline. As such a mobile player, Murray fits the modern NFL extremely well.
Murray also shows the ability to work through traffic and has a tremendous nose for the ball. Whether on the inside or outside, Murray always seems to find his way to the ball on a run play. He is also an impressive blitzing linebacker who gets downhill quickly. Murray shows the ability to beat offensive linemen with speed and brutalize pass-blocking running backs with raw power.
That being said, Murray does leave plenty to be desired in pass coverage. He simply does not have great pass coverage instincts at the linebacker position, especially in zone coverage. However, his impressive overall skillset gives him plenty of upside in this department. With some proper NFL coaching, Murray should be able to at least be a solid pass defender at the next level.
Linebacker is a major position of need for the Raiders and Murray is one of the only top-tier prospects at the position in the 2020 NFL draft class. Having him on their radar at number 19 makes a ton of sense.