Notable Quotables: Raiders Draft Eddie Vanderdoes

Notable quotes and social media reaction to the Oakland Raiders selection of Eddie Vanderdoes.

Oakland Raiders fans desperately wanted a linebacker early in the 2017 NFL Draft. Three rounds in, Reggie McKenzie still hadn’t grabbed one, and Raider Nation started to get impatient.

The Raiders addressed their secondary quite nicely with their first two picks in Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu. Reggie McKenzie turned his attention to the interior line for the Raiders third-round pick, and chose UCLA DT Eddie Vanderdoes with the 88th pick.

Vanderdoes has an impressive pedigree as a five-star recruit out of high school who played at an all-conference level in his first two seasons. He was sidelined by an ACL injury his junior (2015) season, and didn’t look to have fully regained his pre-injury form in 2016.

His draft stock, as a result, slipped, and as such he was there when the Raiders picked at 88. He fits a big need with the loss of Dan Williams and Stacey McGee in the offseason. The question with Vanderdoes isn’t talent. It’s effort and what type of shape he’s in. If his Twitter is any indication, he’ll be just fine. Raider Nation can only hope he brings the same verve to the field.

One thing is for sure, the man isn’t lacking confidence and isn’t subtle. His thoughts heading into the draft – in his pinned Tweet right under a picture of a gun-toting Tony Montana:

https://twitter.com/Vanderdoes47/status/857633391553806336

Raider great and HOFer Willie Brown liked the pick, clearly:

And how does Eddie feel? Well, clearly the Northern California native speaks Raider Nation:

Raider’s reporter Jimmy Durkin tweeted out a video of Jack Del Rio speaking on Vanderdoes:

Eddie looked a bit sluggish and out of shape this past off-season. Apparently, he was – per himself:

Looks like Eddie will be converting some Bay Area rivals as well:

JBB Editor @NickHjeltness wrote an article outlining Reggie McKenzie’s type – he noted Vanderdoes was a mere 3 pounds off the threshold, and predicted Obi in the second:

The reaction from Raider Nation wasn’t all positive this time around:

But it seems the opinion is that if he stays motivated and works hard to earn his reps, he’ll succeed:

As always, Derek Carr was right there to greet his new teammate – and Eddie had an ambitious message for his QB:

https://twitter.com/Vanderdoes47/status/858175397875269632

With teammates like Carr and Khalil Mack, there is no question Vanderdoes has the parts around him to keep him motivated and on point. The culture McKenzie and Del Rio have cultivated ensures accountability and work ethic.

The consensus is that if he returns to full health – which it appears he has already – and keeps his head on and motor running, Vanderdoes will be a good, if not great, player.

The Raiders still need a middle linebacker and some further defensive depth, but Reggie McKenzie has gone a long way to infusing this defense with young, exciting talent in the first two days of the 2017 draft.