Oakland Raiders building blocks: Trevor Scott

The Oakland Raiders got a steal when they drafted Trevor Scott in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. He has tied for the team lead in sacks in each of his two years in Silver and Black.

Between his sophomore and junior years at the University of Buffalo he was moved from tight end to defensive end. The switch in sides of the ball fit him well as he became an instant starter on defense and started all games his junior and senior seasons, which led to his selection by the Raiders.

As a pro he started as a pass rushing specialist in his rookie year of 2008. He appeared in all 16 games and tied Kalimba Edwards for the team lead with five. As the season wore on, Scott had a more prevalent role in the defense.

In 2009 Scott started the season in his role from the previous year and finished the season as a starting outside linebacker. He tied Greg Ellis for the team lead with 8 sacks along the way. Scott started the first game of his NFL career as an outside linebacker in the week 11 Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys. Scott responded by recording two sacks of Tony Romo.

At 255 lbs Scott is undersized as a defensive end, and from that position he has had a weakness against the run. His move to outside linebacker will give him more favorable matchups against run blockers and in pass rush as he will have an outside tact which will more likely put him against tight ends or running backs instead of offensive tackles.

With Scott expected to open the 2010 season as the starting outside linebacker and the additions of Quentin Groves and Kamerion Wembley there has been much speculation that the Raiders would be moving towards a 3-4 defensive scheme. This has not played out during the sessions where the media could watch, but Tom Cable did promise a new defensive scheme at the end of the draft.

In a 3-4 system, Scott would be a perfect fit as the “elephant” linebacker. This was the position played by guys like Charles Haley, Lawrence Taylor, and Derrick Thomas. However, regardless of whether the Raiders play a 3-4 or 4-2 defense Scott will be essential to the success of the Raiders defense.