Stryker Sulak is on the same Colin Brown bubble with respect to making the NFL team that drafted him.  I like his chances less than Brown’s if only because the Raiders are dumb and keeping the man who lead all of college football in forced fumbles would be smart. 

It’s become a chant almost to say Stryker is a ‘tweener.  I bet he’s tired of hearing that word.  They say he’s not big enough to play on the line and he may not be fast enough to play linebacker.   He’s a thin dude, so doesn’t come off as the bull-rushing tank a lot of teams look for.

His blazing 4.5 speed reported throughout his Tiger days showed up as 4.77 at the combine.  At 6-5, 251 he cuts an impressive figure, but like Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s, the Raiders are not selling jeans.  

What can Stryker do in the NFL?  He’s a good athlete with a good motor who throws himself all over the field.  That sounds cool, but to get to this level, you have to do that stuff.   The talking heads who have bothered to discuss the Raiders’ sixth round pick have guessed that Stryker is likely to play strong-side linebacker in the Raiders’ 3-4 system.   It’s unlikely he’ll play on the line of scrimmage in that scheme.   Here are the Raiders’ SLB (are they called that in a 3-4?):

• Ricky Brown, 6-2, 235, fourth year player out of Boston College.  He started six games last year and is listed as the starting SLB.  He had 37 tackles and 0 sacks.
• Sam Williams, 6-5, 260, seventh year guy out of Fresno State.  He played in all 16 games, starting two, and accumulated 12 tackles and 0 sacks.
• Marquis Cooper is still on ESPN’s depth chart even though he’s dead.   

This doesn’t look to0 imposing for Styrker.  The Raiders gave up the 24th most points in ‘08 and 27th most yards.  They need some help.   In addition to the specific position Stryker may play, the talking heads have surmised that Stryker may be a “pass rush specialist.”    Trevor Scott tied for the lead in Oakland with 5 sacks from his DE position.  He was a backup, taken by the Raiders in the 6th round of the 2008 draft.  Scott is 6-5, 256.  Sound familiar?  Kalimba Edwards, a DE, also tallied five sacks.  He’s no longer a Raider.  There are sacks to be had.

Stryker will see a ton of competition from his fellow draftees as the Raiders chose three college defensive ends in the draft.  Matt Shaughnessy, 6-5, 266, out of Wisconsin and wee Slade Norris, 6-2, 232 out of Oregon State.  Each was taken before Stryker, so will get paid more and will get more benefits of the doubt.  Norris is seen as a “speed linebacker.”   The Raiders also signed several LBs and DEs to free agent contracts after the draft.

The Raiders are bad.  They need a lot of help.  This plays to Stryker’s advantage.  Of course, one of the reasons they’re bad is because they are dumb, as noted earlier.  Who knows how they will assess the defense and make cuts.  I give Strker just over a one in three chance of making this team come September.   If he fails to make the roster, he can always sell jeans.  He’d be good at that too.