One of the stars of the offseason last year for the Raiders was linebacker Javin White. Despite being undrafted, he was able to make his way onto the roster and onto the field during his rookie season. That is pretty rare for a player like White, who played college football at UNLV.
But entering Year 2, there is a ton of competition at linebacker for White and his spot on the 53-man roster is anything but guaranteed. On top of the three starters, Tanner Muse has had a strong camp and appears ready to have a bigger role. The team also spent a third-round pick in this year’s draft on Divine Deablo, who appears to be a lock to make the roster.
So where does that leave White? We aren’t sure, but his performance in the team’s first preseason game is a strong start.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they broke down every position for every team during Week 1 of the preseason. The site came away impressed by White, giving him a surprisingly good grade. Here is what they had to say about the second-year linebacker:
“2020 undrafted rookie Javin White saw 12 snaps last season in the regular season and was on the field for 38 snaps as a starter in this game. He made two defensive stops and had a pass breakup on his way to an impressive 77.8 grade.”
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Raiders have depth at linebacker. And in Gus Bradley’s defense, he prefers to only use two linebackers in his base defense. It will be fascinating to see who makes the roster and how the rotation plays out, but White continues to make a strong case that he belongs in the conversation.