The Las Vegas Raiders‘ need for pass rush help became a lot less serious when the Baltimore Ravens decided to back out of their trade for Maxx Crosby. The team signed Kwity Paye in free agency and brought back Malcolm Koone, so Crosby has some running mates.
Tyree Wilson was traded to the New Orleans Saints, but the Raiders did draft former Auburn defensive end Keyron Crawford in the third round. The team decided to add even more depth in undrafted free agency.
NC State announced that the Raiders have signed defensive end Cian Slone to a contract.
Slone spent just one year with NC State after being at Utah State the previous two. Through his college career, he had 22.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks. There will be an opportunity to make the Raiders’ roster at defensive end. Las Vegas does have six other defensive ends on the roster, but Slone does things that could earn him a roster spot.
Slone Has Upside on Special Teams
Most undrafted free agents are going to have to earn their roster spots by making an impact on special teams. It’s hard to imagine Slone would be able to get into the Raiders’ defensive end rotation as a rookie, but he could see time on special teams.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein likes how hard Slone plays, but agrees that he’ll have to make a name for himself on special teams.
“Slone plays with a red-hot urgency that is rarely matched by opponents,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s a stand-up edge rusher with good play recognition. He challenges blocks with aggressive first actions but makes hunting the football the priority. While he’s a capable combatant at the point of attack, his lack of range and short-area agility could limit his impact as a playmaker. Slone’s energy and relentlessness fuel his secondary rush but he lacks the skill of a productive NFL rusher. Special-teams standout might be his route to a roster spot.”
Raiders Had One of Best Value Picks in Draft
One thing the Raiders have been terrible at for years has been getting value out of their draft picks. Too often, they have reached for players they likely could’ve gotten later in the draft.
The Raiders took a risk by selecting former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the fourth round, but it was one of the best value picks in the draft, according to The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf.
“The talent is what had McCoy as one of the best cornerbacks in this draft class, but the medicals made him tumble all the way to Day 3,” Yousuf wrote. “It’s quite simple for the Raiders: If McCoy’s right knee holds up, this pick has the potential to be the steal of the draft. Of course, there’s no guarantee of that, which is why McCoy was available Saturday.”
Now, McCoy may not even be able to play due to a previous ACL injury, but if he’s healthy, he’s going to be a starting cornerback in the NFL. That was well worth the risk for a rebuilding team like the Raiders.
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