The Raiders are ready to roll for training camp; all their rookies are now under contract. Las Vegas came to terms on the customary four-year rookie deals for third-round picks Divine Deablo and Malcolm Koonce on Friday.
Las Vegas took Koonce, a defensive end out of Buffalo, at No. 79 before drafting Deablo (Virginia Tech) a pick later. The team is set to open its training camp July 27, joining 28 other squads in that regard. Deablo, Koonce and second-round safety Trevon Moehrig represent the Raiders’ Day 2 draft contingent. Moehrig signed his rookie deal last month.
Primarily a safety at Virginia Tech, Deablo is on track to begin his NFL career as a linebacker. Deablo began his Hokies career as a wide receiver, ranking as a top-25 wideout recruit nationally in 2016, but moved to the defensive side in 2017. Deablo was a key Virginia Tech defender from 2018-20. Last season, he intercepted four passes; one of those picks came against top 2021 pick Trevor Lawrence. Deablo will join an experienced Raiders linebacking corps, being positioned to potentially see extensive time following the 2021 season.
Koonce combined to register 13 sacks over the past two seasons. He tallied 11 tackles for loss in 2019, when he added three forced fumbles. Koonce finished as a first-team All-MAC defender during the conference’s six-game season. In that truncated campaign, Koonce still posted five sacks. He will join a Raiders edge-rushing corps that now houses Yannick Ngakoue, who signed to team with Clelin Ferrell and former fourth-round find Maxx Crosby. Crosby was also a MAC pass-rushing standout.
Going into camp, here is how the Raiders’ 2021 draft class breaks down:
Round 1: No. 17 Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama) (signed)
Round 2: No. 43 (from 49ers) Tre’von Moehrig, S (TCU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 79 (from Cardinals) Malcolm Koonce, DE (Buffalo) (signed)
Round 3: No. 80 Divine Deablo, S (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 4: No. 143 (from Vikings via Jets) Tyree Gillespie, S (Missouri) (signed)
Round 5: No. 167 (from Seahawks) Nate Hobbs, CB (Illinois) (signed)
Round 7: No. 230 (from Jets via 49ers) Jimmy Morrissey, C (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Well the Raiders survived Marc Badain’s resignation I see.
An organization that can survive Hue Jackson can probably survive anything.
I liked Hue Jackson, at least they were .500 under him…. I think, (maybe for one season)