Silver And Black Pride
Diving into what the Oklahoma linebacker could bring to the Raiders
While Elandon Roberts provides the Las Vegas Raiders with a temporary replacement to fill the void Robert Spillane left in free agency, the Raiders could use a long-term option to take on the run-stuffing linebacker role. That should put Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman on Las Vegas’ radar in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-3 and 235-pound former Sooner ranked third among all FBS backers with a 90.9 grade and 49 ‘defensive stops’ as a run defender last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Even more impressively, he put up the latter figure while taking fewer snaps against the run than the two backers ahead of him and ranked second with a 15.5 percent run-stop rate.
So, let’s dive into the tape and see what Stutsman could bring to the Silver and Black.
Part of what makes Stutsman a good run defender is he’s shown a handful of ways to defeat blocks, including using his quickness and athleticism.
He’s on the backside of a duo call from Ole Miss here, where the left guard climbs up to the second level to block him. Initially, Stutsman starts working toward the guard and makes it look like he’s going to take on the block with his inside arm. But right before the point of contact, he changes directions and uses a shoulder dip move to make the guard miss.
To finish, the Oklahoma product does a great job of sinking his hips and working flat down the 18-yard line to meet the running back just past the line of scrimmage and make the tackle for a short gain.
Stutsman was listed at 243 pounds last season (the number above comes from his NFL Combine weight) which makes this level of quickness and movement skills even more impressive.
We’ll see a similar rep here, but Alabama runs G-Y QB counter and Stutsman is lined up as the MIKE linebacker.
Stutsman has good instincts against gap runs so once he sees the guard and tight end pulling, he attacks the C-gap and beats the tight end/puller to the spot. Then, he plays the game within the game by working a little wider than he should, which throws off the tight end’s angle on the block.
Finally, the linebacker sticks his outside foot in the ground and pivots to the inside, causing the puller to miss the block and allowing him to get a clean tackle on the quarterback right at the line of scrimmage. Another good example of using quickness and athleticism to defeat a block.
Stutsman is at the MIKE spot again with a power run from the Crimson Tide this time. The read isn’t as clear since the Tide use a tight end as a puller to kick out the safety in the box instead of a guard or offensive lineman. But Stutsman isn’t fooled and starts working over the top of the formation.
Not only does that put him in a...
