Notre Dame Draft Watch: Drue Tranquill Makes Sense for Raiders

Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tranquill would fit in with the Raiders.

Drue Tranquill was not the most talented player on Notre Dame’s defense in 2018. What he was, however, was the heartbeat of the team. The two-time team captain was a Campbell trophy finalist, and second team academic All-American. He made the Butkus Award and Lott Trophy watch lists. He won the Wuerffel Trophy, and three Rockne Student-Athlete Awards. Tranquill leaves South Bend for the NFL as an Irish Great.

So, where does Drue Tranquill fit in at the next level?

Tranquill is undersized for a NFL linebacker. He will need to play outside or even fall back to safety. His speed is going to help him a ton. He can play sideline to sideline and rush the passer well. He doesn’t have the strength to power rush, though. His strength may also be a concern against the run at the next level. Tranquill will probably be expected to start out by playing special teams and work his way up a depth chart.

Still, his speed, intelligence, versatility, and leadership will make a lot of teams line up for a shot at Tranquill. Where in the draft he goes will probably be heavily affected by his combine and pro day. These workouts will give teams insight as to where he fits best on the field.

As for myself, I expect Drue Tranquill to be playing safety upon reaching the NFL. He’s a smart guy, with great awareness for the game. That’ll help him transition. He has the speed to play Cover 2, where he’d be responsible for covering half of the field at once. He’s also a sure enough tackler that I don’t see many offensive players breaking past him.

As for a team, I say Tranquill fits very well with a number of teams. The Giants, Bengals, and Chiefs all make sense. However, the best fit for Tranquill is the Oakland Raiders.

There’s a few reasons for the fit. Perhaps the most obvious being that the Raiders are awful on defense. They were last in the NFL in 2018 for scoring, allowing 29.2 points per game.

That happens when you send your best defensive player to the Bears.

Oddly enough, the Bears got really great at defense after the Khalil Mack trade. However, the defense needs a new leader. For the Raiders, adding a two-time captain would be a great addition.

The Raiders passing defense was 32nd this past season in explosive plays allowed. They allowed explosive plays on 12 percent of passes this season from opponents. This is a sign of awful safety play. Tranquill could help to improve this quickly from the safety position.

If the Raiders were to play Tranquill at outside linebacker, he could help to replace Mack, whose pass rushing ability has been sorely missed since he was traded. They only had 13 sacks this season, which was dead last in the NFL. Not just that, it was 17 sacks behind the 31st ranked team in sacks this past season.

Tranquill couldn’t possibly hurt their run defense. Oakland allowed over 2,200 rushing yards this past season.

It’s rare that players are drafted into a perfect situation. For Tranquill, a team that allows him time to develop would be best. However, it is unlikely that he gets that courtesy.