Where Las Vegas Raiders landed in PFF's linebacker unit rankings
Where Las Vegas Raiders landed in PFF's linebacker unit rankings
The Las Vegas Raiders sport an intriguing linebacker unit ahead of the 2024 season that has a chance to be one of the better groups in the NFL.
Las Vegas is returning starters from last season in Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo, both of whom are coming off career years. Adding to those two, the Raiders have promising young players in Luke Masterson, Amari Burney and Tommy Eichenberg, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
According to Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness, the Raiders have the No. 15 linebacker unit in the NFL ahead of this coming season.
Robert Spillane thrived for the Raiders in his first full season as a starter, earning a 77.1 PFF grade on 1,100 snaps to rank tied for 17th in the league. Divine Deablo is a good tackler, having missed just 6.0% of his career attempts.
Rookie Tommy Eichenberg could prove to be a steal. The fifth-round draft pick earned an 86.8 PFF grade at Ohio State in 2022 before having a down year in his final season in college in 2023.
The Raiders are going to be solid at linebacker as long as Spillane and Deablo are healthy, but if one or more of the young players at the position can step up and contribute in a positive way, it'll take the group to another level.
Based on spring practice observations from Levi Edwards of Raiders.com, both Eichenberg and Masterson have the potential to do just that.
One linebacker that has stood out is Luke Masterson, seemingly leveling up his play as he heads into his third season. The UDFA from Wake Forest has only missed one game in his NFL career, but has been primarily used on special teams. If he keeps making strides in Training Camp, he could be featured heavily in the rotation this season.
Another linebacker to keep an eye on is 2024 fifth-round pick Tommy Eichenberg from Ohio State. Like Spillane, his feel for the game is impressive and will only continue to grow under the tutelage of the other veterans in the room.
You can make the argument that the Raiders should be higher because of the presence of Spillane and Deablo alone. Regardless, if one or more of the young linebackers pan, PFF won't have any choice but to move Las Vegas' unit up.