Raiders meet with linebackers Kenneth Murray, Patrick Queen

INDIANAPOLIS — The Raiders could address a clear position of need at linebacker with one of their first-round picks, and two players they’ve met with at the NFL scouting combine are Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray and LSU’s Patrick Queen.

Both are regarded as two of the top linebackers in the 2020 draft class, and both could help improve a Raiders defense that struggled throughout the season.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden on Thursday said he was impressed with both prospects.

“Queen is interesting. Early in the season he wasn’t starting, and then when you watch the championship run they were on, he was a big part of that,” Gruden said. “Murray is a type-A alpha. He’s a fun guy to talk football with. Two really good young linebackers. We met with a couple others. We feel like there’s a good group in this year’s class as well.”

Murray started for three years for the Sooners, earning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2017, second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 and first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2019. He picked up 36½ tackles for loss and 9½ sacks during his three seasons as a starter.

Queen, however, wasn’t even a consistent starter at LSU’until 2019 — starting 11 of the 15 games of the team’s national championship season. He was the defensive MVP of the national championship game with eight tackles, 2½ tackles for loss and a half sack.

Both players positively characterized their meetings with the Raiders.

Said Murray: “I really love their staff. They have some really great coaches.”

Said Queen: ““The meeting was great, I felt really comfortable with those guys. Had a few laughs.”

Queen in particular said he could feel the energy from Gruden during the brief meeting.

“He’s a great person — really fired up from the time I walked in to the time I left,” Queen said. “Never had that one chill moment, so that was something that wowed me when I was in there.”

While the Raiders could use the talent of both linebackers, Murray seems especially suited to be a part of the team’s future. As a middle linebacker, he’s used to being a defensive signal-caller and could step into that role. The Raiders had a void at that position for most of the 2019 season after linebacker Vontaze Burfict was suspended for 12 games following his helmet-to-helmet hit on Colts tight end Jack Doyle.

“I came in as a true freshman and was the general of the defense — made all the calls and the checks,” Murray said. “Being a leader is something I’m naturally good at. It’s something I was just naturally born to do.”

Plus, Murray is a film junkie, saying he spends five hours a day watching film. He’d get to the Oklahoma football facility at 5:45 a.m. and watch with his position coach. Then he’d watch more after he was done with practice in the evening.

“I don’t watch TV at all during the season,” he said.

More than that, Murray is an impressive human being. He spoke on Thursday about how he’s been positively affected by his parents adopting three children with special needs. And over the summer, he saved a woman’s life by administering CPR on the side of the road. Not looking for any credit or attention, he left the scene after paramedics arrived and took over.

“It was a unique situation,” Murray said. “Just a blessing to be in the right place at the right time to be able to help someone in need.”

At this point in the offseason, Murray and Queen appear more likely to be targets for the Raiders’ No. 19 pick rather than their higher No. 12 pick in the first round.

Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.