Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders doing some extra digging on an Alabama inside linebacker

Published Jan. 27, 2016 11:26 p.m. ET

foxsports

A failed experiment with Rolando McClain isn't enough to keep his old team away from another Alabama 'backer.

The Oakland Raiders are reportedly checking up on Reggie Ragland, a former Tide star like McClain, at the Senior Bowl this week. Ragland is a consensus first-round pick.

Via NFL Media's Chase Goodbread:

Reggie Ragland now meeting with multiple #Raiders scouts. Here's guessing they'll do extra homework on Alabama MLBs.
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) January 25, 2016

Teams group players by school and position too often. Good for general manager Reggie McKenzie and his staff for not painting Ragland with a bust label just because of his predecessors.

Truth is, Ragland might be better than McClain ever was. He's played both inside and outside linebacking roles this week in Mobile, Ala. and shined in both spots.

That versatility could help Oakland patch multiple linebacking holes. They'd do well to target Ragland with the 14th overall pick in April.