Three cheers for defense: Raiders use all their Day 2 picks on stop unit

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Friday, April 30, 2021 | 5:01 p.m.

Updated Friday, April 30, 2021 | 10:18 p.m.

Help is on the way for the Raiders’ long-struggling defense via the second day of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Las Vegas filled an offensive-line hole by taking Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood with its lone first-round pick on Thursday, leaving some to complain that it was neglecting more glaring needs on the other side of the ball. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock hinted that an infusion of defensive talent would come in the second- and third rounds, and turns out, he wasn’t being deceptive.

The Raiders went defense with all three picks on Friday night. They took TCU safety Trevon Moehrig at No. 43 overall in the second round followed by Buffalo edge rusher Malcolm Koonce and Virginia Tech linebacker/safety Divine Deablo at No. 79 and No. 80, respectively, in the third round.

“In my mind, to match this draft up, as we worked through the middle of the first through the third round, there was going to be a really strong group of defensive players,” Mayock said. “And let’s face it: We need defense. We’re not a very good defensive football team, and I think our needs met up and matched what was going to be available today.”

The Raiders traded up five spots in the second round to take Moehrig, sending a fourth-round pick in exchange for a seventh-rounder to the San Francisco 49ers in order to complete the swap. They had a first-round grade on the 6-foot-2, 203-pound safety, according to Mayock, and considered trading up last night to take him after selecting Leatherwood.

A contingent of the Raiders’ fan base and NFL Draft community predicted the team would take him with their original first-round pick, but the Jim Thorpe Award winner for college football’s best defensive back unexpectedly slipped.

Reports surfaced that medical evaluations revealing a back injury might have been the culprit for his fall down the draft board. Mayock said the team’s medical staff cleared Moehrig, though, and he was left “stunned” by the tumble.

Moehrig also declared himself fully healthy in an introductory Zoom call with reporters on Friday night.

“It’s a blessing just to be here, to get this opportunity and to play for the Raiders,” he said. “I’m just excited to play for the Raiders, man. So, slipping into the second is not a big deal. I’m excited and blessed.”

Koonce and Deablo will join him on a defense Las Vegas has committed to repairing this offseason after it ranked 26^th in the NFL in giving up 6 yards per play and 30^th in sack rate at 3.49% last year.

Koonce was particularly brought in to help with the latter as he led the Mid-American Conference in each of the last two seasons with a total of 14 sacks. He joins a number of free-agent signings including Pro-Bowler Yannick Ngakoue and former No. 3 overall pick Solomon Thomas as new options to generate pass rush.

“I knew that getting drafted by them that I’m doing what I love to do and that’s pass rush and just get after people on the opposite line of scrimmage,” Koonce said.

The 6-foot-2, 249-pound Koonce is dealing with an injury of his own — to his foot — that kept him out of some offseason workouts. That may have been part of the reason he was available at No. 79 overall despite Mayock saying the Raiders had him rated much higher.

Mayock said he fell in love with Koonce’s game from the first time he watched film. He compared Koonce to his now-teammate Ngakoue.

“When you see him rush the quarterback, he’s got a real chance to do some things that are kind of cool and will help complement Ngakoue,” Mayock said. “Now we’ve got two guys who can kind of bend the edge and get some speed off the edge, and that’s what we didn’t have the last two years.”

Deablo’s role is less defined as he’s a hybrid player who can line up either near the line of scrimmage or deep in coverage. On the surface, he’s a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s scheme.

The Raiders intend to initially use him at linebacker and on special teams but have options on how to deploy Deablo in the future. The 6-foot-3, 226-pounder was reportedly a steady riser on draft boards across the league over the last several months.

He played mostly safety for the Hokies but impressed coaching staffs with a switch to linebacker in January at the Senior Bowl and then later clocked a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at Virginia Tech’s Pro Day.

“I just showed what I could do athletically,” Deablo said. “And that just caught the Raiders’ attention and I’m thankful they picked me up.”

Mayock sees Deablo eventually morphing into the type of positionless starter that’s sweeping NFL defenses. But Moehrig is the only player that the Raiders took Friday who will be given every opportunity to start right away, as he’s expected to fill the free-safety slot alongside 2019 first-round pick Johnathan Abram at strong safety.

Like Leatherwood at Alabama, Moehring was a captain at TCU this past season and Mayock was drawn to his leadership.

“I was the quarterback of the defense, so I feel like I’m really confident coming in and taking that leadership role, command of the defense, taking the reins and just leading,” Moehrig said. “I’m super comfortable with that, confident with it and I’m just excited to get started.”

The Raiders haven’t ranked in the upper half of the NFL in most key defensive statistical categories for a decade or longer. If they can manage a turnaround and become a perennially productive unit, then Friday’s set of draft picks might be looked back on as a pivotal moment for the franchise.

“We haven’t rushed the quarterback, we haven’t turned the football over,” Mayock said. “Those are two things if you want to be a good defense, you have to do and we haven’t done it. We think these three guys can help us do it.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.