The Raiders continue their efforts to ramp up their defense with their two third-round picks.
The Silver and Black selected defensive end Malcolm Koonce out of Buffalo at No. 79, and the Raiders have historically had massive success in the past selecting edge rushers from FCS schools such as Hall of Famer Howie Long from Villanova, Raiders current sack leader Maxx Crosby from Eastern Michigan and former Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack, who, like Koonce, attended Buffalo. Koonce racked up 14 sacks in the 19 games he played for the Bulls.
Meanwhile, a pick later at No. 80, the Raiders made a very 'divine' pick out of Virginia Tech.
Defensive back Divine Deablo was selected after Koonce. He was All-ACC in 2020 and had 206 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions and 17 passes defensed in his 51 games as a Hokie. He was also named a captain at the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile back in January.
Some reactions to the No. 79 and 80 overall picks:
