Oakland Raiders: Go defense heavy in initial seven-round mock draft

With their final pick in the draft – and rounding out their draft class of eleven – the Raiders look to bring in some more help for their linebackers group.

At six-foot, 230 pounds, Tegray Scales has good size. He’s mobile, quick, and athletic, with some believing he’s one of the most underrated defensive prospects in this year’s draft class.

Over his four years with Indiana, Scales amassed 324 total tackles (217 solo), 46 tackles for a loss, 17 sacks, eight interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), six passes defensed, recovered two fumbles, and forced another.

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Statistically speaking, he was definitely a beast on that Hoosier defense, and best of all, he was pretty consistent across the board over his college career.

Scouts love his instincts, his knack for being where ever the ball is, his run defense, pass defense, his ability to shed blocks and not get caught up in the trash, and his high football IQ. He’s compared favorably to Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall – which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Those scouts though, are worried about his size, believing him to be undersized to play interior linebacker – NaVorro Bowman is also six feet and only about ten pounds heavier, in case you wondered.

The concerns about his size though, as well as their belief that he lacks elite speed, could combine to keep Scales near the bottom of the Draft board.

If Scales is there at pick 228, McKenzie and Gruden shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger and get him a Silver and Black jersey. He could potentially wind up being one of the bigger Draft Day steals.