Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Kiper mock draft 1.0: Roquan Smith teaming with NaVorro Bowman?

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- New Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther would like to see NaVorro Bowman re-signed, and Bowman, who joined the Raiders in Week 7 last year, has said he is open to returning to Oakland for the rebuild under Jon Gruden.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., in his Insider mock draft 1.0, perhaps sees the best of both worlds for the Raiders, even if he sees Oakland losing a coin flip with the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 9 overall pick in April’s draft.

Kiper selected Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith, the Butkus Award winner, for Oakland at No. 10.

It makes sense for Smith, an absolute terror on the field who can lay the wood as well as run sideline to sideline with ease and speed, to learn at the knee of a four-time All-Pro inside linebacker in Bowman... even if Bowman’s left knee and Achilles’ tendon have reduced his effectiveness from his halcyon days with the Niners.

Guenther said that while he is a 4-3 guy, he is not opposed to switching a scheme to 3-4 if the personnel dictate as much. Bowman thrived in a 3-4 with the 49ers, next to Patrick Willis.

“I think NaVorro is a prototype middle linebacker, really,” Guenther said this week in a conference call with Bay Area reporters. “The thing that impressed me most with NaVorro is that they got him here midseason and by the end of the year, it appeared to me that he was kind of the leader of the unit, making a lot of calls. You can see that on tape.

"It looks like he is a smart guy that understands the game. I love smart guys that love playing football. Hopefully we can get him back in the fold and keep him a Raider.”

Imagine, then, Bowman and Smith patrolling the middle of a Raiders defense with Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin pinning their ears back to rush the quarterback. Of course, it’s all contingent upon having a big and effective nose tackle to occupy space and blockers.

Smith, who put on a show in the college football playoffs, led Georgia in sacks (6.5), tackles (137), tackles for loss (14), quarterback hurries (17), and forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles.

Kiper has the 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior as the No. 1 linebacker in the draft, the No. 15 overall prospect.

The Raiders, though, have not drafted an inside linebacker in the first round since 2010, when Rolando McClain was the Butkus winner as the nation’s top linebacker, and ended up a colossal bust. Before that, the Raiders used a first-rounder on an inside linebacker in 2002. Paging Napoleon Harris.

Maybe it’s an every-eight-year thing for Oakland.

“I’m going to do what’s best with the talent that we have,” Guenther said.

“We’re going to put the players in the best position we can to succeed, whether it’s a 4-3, a 3-4, it doesn’t matter. We’ll be flexible that way with what we got.”

Might Smith, though, as Kiper suggests, be a part of that formula for the Raiders? They could do worse, and have.

Because now we’re paging McClain.

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