Las Vegas Raiders Training Camp: Yannick Ngakoue born to be a Raider
By CJ Errickson
The late Al Davis would be smiling as defensive end Yannick Ngakoue believes that he was destined to be a member of the Raiders franchise
The Las Vegas Raiders 2021 training camp in Henderson, Nevada, is well underway. There are plenty of new faces in the organization, but there may not be one more pivotal to the team’s 2021 success than defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
After playing with three different organizations in the past two NFL seasons, the former University of Maryland believes that Las Vegas is his final NFL destination.
More importantly, the 26 y/o Washington D.C. native has believed all along that the reality of wearing the Silver and Black would eventually transpire. He is already leaving his mark early on in the Las Vegas non-padded portion of training camp, but he is just getting started.
The Raiders now have the defender that possesses both the desire and means of replicating Khalil Mack’s production
To say the least, the Las Vegas Raiders have lacked a collective pass rush since the infamous Khalil Mack trade. More specifically, the Silver and Black have also endured a major void in the explosive pass rusher department since Mack’s departure.
While defensive end Maxx Crosby has shown great strides as a former fourth-round draft selection, he still hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling as he enters his third NFL season. Yannick Ngakoue, on the other hand, has shown that he is one of the NFL’s most consistent pass rushers regardless of scheme or team.
Heading into the new season, Ngakoue is the embodiment of ‘Commitment to Excellence.’ He talks a big game, and his actions so far in the Silver and Black’s 2021 training camp are tangible., as he is already leading by example for the Raiders defense.
The Las Vegas Raiders defensive front will dictate just how much the defense improves this season. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli is already endorsing Yannick Ngakoue as being one of the team’s leaders.
Subsequently, Yannick is already answering the call, according to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. As training camp progresses and elevates in intensity, expect the new edge defender for the Silver and Black to show glimpses of how pivotal a player he will be for the team this season.