Hidden Gems: UDFA Hope To Impress Raiders This Summer
After the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders immediately went to work, signing undrafted free agents.
To most people, the draft process ends with the announcement of Mr.Irrelevant. Yet, for the Las Vegas Raiders, the work actually never truly stops. Call it The Patriot Way or whatever, but the team apparently takes a focused approach to everything. With that said, signing undrafted free agents becomes actually important. If you look back at recent history, Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler wear multiple Super Bowl rings, due in part to the undrafted free agents that made plays when they mattered most. As a result, the smart money stays with expecting one of these undrafted Raiders to step up and claim a roster spot.
Safety Concerns
Spending picks, primarily on the line of scrimmage, the Raiders needed to address the back end of the secondary. With Johnathan Abram possibly playing out the string, and Dallin Leavitt struggling in coverage, the team decided to shake the safety UDFA tree to see what fell out. The Raiders nabbed three. Of them, Louisville’s Qwynnterrio Cole jumps ahead of the pack. Granted, he doesn’t possess a single elite, bankable trait, he could thrive on special teams and subpackages.
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Rising Sun Devil
New Raiders’ linebackers coach Antonio Pierce probably vouched for his former pupil. In all honesty, Vegas could benefit from that. Darien Butler brings a fighter’s mentality to the game. Within a defense, he displays the knack for coverage with the added bonus of driving down on an opponent to make a hit. Butler gives the Raiders options on a couple of different levels. First, he could apply his trade on special teams, covering kicks. Additionally, depending on how the camp progresses and the injury situation occurs, Butler could see extensive time in the preseason, allowing for Patrick Graham to figure out if he can be used in subpackages.
Bright Outlook
Granted, no one expects the undrafted free agents to make a profound impact. However, Malcolm Butler parlayed undrafted status into two Super Bowl rings and career earnings of forty-four million dollars. What team signed him initially? The Patriots. If the Raiders manage to turn one of these players into a valued part of the franchise, then the braintrust can mark this as a success.
