Film room: Can Stutsman be Spillane’s replacement?

Diving into what the Oklahoma linebacker could bring to the Raiders

While Elandon Roberts provides the Las Vegas Raiders with a temporary replacement to fill the void Robert Spillane left in free agency, the Raiders could use a long-term option to take on the run-stuffing linebacker role. That should put Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman on Las Vegas’ radar in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-3 and 235-pound former Sooner ranked third among all FBS backers with a 90.9 grade and 49 ‘defensive stops’ as a run defender last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Even more impressively, he put up the latter figure while taking fewer snaps against the run than the two backers ahead of him and ranked second with a 15.5 percent run-stop rate.

So, let’s dive into the tape and see what Stutsman could bring to the Silver and Black.

Part of what makes Stutsman a good run defender is he’s shown a handful of ways to defeat blocks, including using his quickness and athleticism.

He’s on the backside of a duo call from Ole Miss here, where the left guard climbs up to the second level to block him. Initially, Stutsman starts working toward the guard and makes it look like he’s going to take on the block with his inside arm. But right before the point of contact, he changes directions and uses a shoulder dip move to make the guard miss.

To finish, the Oklahoma product does a great job of sinking his hips and working flat down the 18-yard line to meet the running back just past the line of scrimmage and make the tackle for a short gain.

Stutsman was listed at 243 pounds last season (the number above comes from his NFL Combine weight) which makes this level of quickness and movement skills even more impressive.

We’ll see a similar rep here, but Alabama runs G-Y QB counter and Stutsman is lined up as the MIKE linebacker.

Stutsman has good instincts against gap runs so once he sees the guard and tight end pulling, he attacks the C-gap and beats the tight end/puller to the spot. Then, he plays the game within the game by working a little wider than he should, which throws off the tight end’s angle on the block.

Finally, the linebacker sticks his outside foot in the ground and pivots to the inside, causing the puller to miss the block and allowing him to get a clean tackle on the quarterback right at the line of scrimmage. Another good example of using quickness and athleticism to defeat a block.

Stutsman is at the MIKE spot again with a power run from the Crimson Tide this time. The read isn’t as clear since the Tide use a tight end as a puller to kick out the safety in the box instead of a guard or offensive lineman. But Stutsman isn’t fooled and starts working over the top of the formation.

Not only does that put him in a good position, but it also allows him to beat the left guard’s block. While showcasing good instincts and agility/lateral movement skills, Stutsman is essentially able to get an unblocked tackle for a short gain.

As one might expect given his size, Stutsman also has the ability to defeat blocks with physicality.

The play above is another gap run — one-back power from Ole Miss — and the Oklahoma product does a great job of getting to his landmark, again. The quick read allows him to get inside leverage against the pulling guard. That combined with a wide base and some physicality at the point of attack results in him defeating the block to the inside and being in a position to make the tackle right at the line of scrimmage.

The former Sooner also wreaks havoc against the run by being a strong blitzer, which the clip above is a great example of. He’s on the backside of Texas’s G-Y counter call and starts creeping toward the line of scrimmage.

Once the ball is snapped, he shows off the 1.56-second 10-yard split that earned a 9.53 RAS at the combine (4.52-second 40-yard dash) with some impressive acceleration to attack the B-gap where the pulling guard was and beat the right tackle’s block. That results in penetration and a TFL for the linebacker.

Finally, Stutsman has some work to do to be a good coverage linebacker, but it’s not as if he’s completely inept in this area of the game and the clip above serves as a solid example.

First, he does a good job of getting to his landmark in zone coverage and then being physical with the wide receiver to disrupt the receiver’s route, which helps throw off the play design’s timing. Then, he stays deep in his area to protect the line to gain on third down before the quarterback checks the ball down.

Finally, Stutsman does what he does best in coverage: rally and tackle. He takes a good angle and has the speed to catch up with the running back and deliver a big hit to make the tackle well short of the sticks, getting the defense off the field.

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Overall, it’d be unrealistic to expect any rookie to step in and immediately fill Spillane’s shoes. But Spillane and Stutsman share several qualities to suggest the latter can eventually become a quality linebacker at the next level and be what the middle of the Raiders’ defense needs.

The Oklahoma product currently holds a fifth-round projection in next month’s draft, according to NFL Mock Draft Database, and he’d certainly be worth one of Las Vegas’ six Day 3 picks.