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With the 197th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Colorado State Rams linebacker Cory James.
James was not ranked in Mocking the Draft's top 300 or in their outside linebacker rankings, and that was in line with most other projections which saw James as a player who might sign as an undrafted free agent. So perhaps the Raiders saw something others did not.
Pro Day Results
40-yard dash: 4.59 seconds
Vertical: 35 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 7 inches
Short shuttle: 4.5 seconds
3-cone: 7.0 seconds
Bench: 16 reps of 225 pounds
James switched positions at Colorado State and moved to middle linebacker this past year but he will playing on the outside in the NFL, and that means he can play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme with Oakland.
His move to the inside was odd since James is fast and a natural edge rusher who not only can beat a tackle off the edge but also chase down a running back. His move to middle linebacker did not showcase his skills but rather pointed out his flaws as his senior tape did not show his actual talent in his natural position.
He had 15.5 sacks in 2013 and 2014 but that number dropped to just two sacks but his tackles for loss was on par from prior years with 10.
The Raiders took a reach on James but he has speed that Oakland likes and seeing what he can do on the outside compared to inside linebacker should give them confidence he can be a contributor to their defense.
Here are highlights of him playing outside linebacker.