When a team gives up on a high draft pick as a rookie, there’s usually a good reason.
But when a player is picked highly, there’s usually a reason for that too, and he gets more chances.
The Raiders have apparently signed former Texans outside linebacker Sam Montgomery, per a tweet from his agent.
The Texans released the third-round pick (95th overall) in October, which was the latest in a long line of authority figures having problems with him. The release was reportedly for smoking marijuana the night before a game, though Montgomery denied smoking, saying he merely walked into a room where others were.
He showed up out of shape for his rookie training camp, after admitting he didn’t always play with great effort at LSU, where the strength coach had to shame him into attending workouts.
He was a productive player at LSU, with 32.5 tackles for loss and 19.0 sacks. That’s going to make teams take notice, and the Raiders are playing to an old stereotype by giving him a look (after the Bengals worked him out this fall).