2020 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile
Name: Tanner Muse
Position: Hybrid
School: Clemson University
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 230 pounds
Stats
Coverage
During his time at Clemson, Muse operated in the deep middle, guarding the slot, or taking the outside receiver. He presents enough agility to handle the quick jab and twitch after the snap. Plus, Muse does not appear lost in space. He exhibits a nuance and a vibe for the underneath passing game. Muse keeps his eyes trained and lets his instincts for route diagnosis show through.
Tackling
With long arms and a quick close, Muse drops the ball carrier efficiently. His inside hand on side approach acts as an impact point. In one motion, the outside arm swoops around to secure the stop. Muse’s tackle radius, accentuated by his frame gives him an advantage whether drifting to the ball, or in backside pursuit. He will need to
Ball Skills
Blessed with sure hands and timing, Muse plays the ball with confidence. In the air, he gets his head around and attempts to play it like a wideout. his long arms help to deflect without drawing the flag.
Speed
If you grade Muse on this trait, split the grade in two. As a safety, he shows the requisite speed for the position. That is to safety, he can stay in the vicinity of a top wideout, but not keep stride. However, as a linebacker, his value increases in this category. Muse will stay with a tight end down the seam, on drags or posts.
Raiders Fit
No matter the wishes of the fanbase, Paul Guenther looks entrenched as the defensive coordinator. Guenther shows no variety, innovation, or adjustments to his scheme. In all honesty, he continues to a disservice to Mike Zimmer’s scheme, that shows proven results. While the Trayvon Mullen and Johnathan Abram provide the Raiders with building blocks to anchor the secondary, the linebacking corps remains a thin group, devoid of talent and depth. Linebackers, to this point, surrendered 13 touchdowns to backs and tight ends. Of those, six occurred after halftime. The Raiders are in serious need of talent upgrades at every defensive level, during each day of the draft.
Why Muse?
Mike Mayock loves Day Three finds. More importantly, he seems rather apt into drafting Clemson talent. Meanwhile, on the field, Muse fills so many different roles. Given his size and ability to play near the line of scrimmage, a natural transition to linebacker feels natural. Equally important, Muse’s drafting brings the defense a new wrinkle. In subpackages, he can cover or blitz. The passing game will not be a weakness for him. The Raiders, for the first time, in recent memory, lack athletes on defense. In addition, if Muse does not start, he provides depth and variety and linebacker and safety. Few teams can boast one player that can operate in two separate, albeit diverse positions. Muse could stay with Hunter Henry on first down or meet Austin Ekeler on third down.
