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Raiders NFL Draft: 3 words to describe each 2021 picks rookie season

By Alexander Monfreda

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Alex Leatherwood is selected 17th by the Las Vegas Raiders during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Alex Leatherwood is selected 17th by the Las Vegas Raiders during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 21: Malcolm Koonce #51 of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams during a preseason NFL game in the second half at SoFi Stadium on August 21, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Raiders: 3 words to describe each 2021 picks rookie season

Malcolm Koonce: Limited, Yet Efficient

Las Vegas had back-to-back picks here, and used the first to acquire Buffalo’s Malcolm Koonce.

Koonce didn’t spend much time being available last season, but when he was, he produced. In 48 defensive snaps, Koonce put up 2 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss of yardage.

The numbers might not excite you, but let’s put some context into them. 2019 first-round pick Clelin Ferrell played 261 snaps, and Carl Nassib totaled 251. If Koonce reached those same marks while withstanding his current pace, he would’ve totaled 10 quarterback sacks – A number that’s equal to Yannick Ngakoue’s team-leading amount.

We didn’t get to see much of Koonce during his rookie season, so it’s hard to sit here and call him the next best thing based on such a small sample size. That said, he certainly made the most of his limited opportunities, and if that can translate over to next season, his future will be bright.

The good news for Koonce: He’s in the perfect situation moving forward. From his versatility to the supporting pass rushers he’ll have on any given down, there’s no reason to think we won’t be hearing a lot about the third-round pick next year.

I did a piece earlier in the week on Koonce, that gets into more detail on his favorable situation. You can find that here.

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