Raiders training camp eve: 7 undrafted rookies to watch

Noah Shannon, DT, Iowa

Shannon showed significant growth in his senior season at Iowa, and though he is on the small side for a defensive tackle at 6-foot-1, 300 pounds, his production cannot go unmentioned. In his final two seasons as a Hawkeye, he recorded 47 and 44 tackles in addition to 2.0 sacks in each season, but most notably, he increased his TFL numbers from 2.0 to 8.5.

Yes, he is a bit slow with limited athletic ability, but he has shown that he is still improving as a player. The Raiders are desperate for another defensive tackle to step up and enter the mix with Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler, and John Jenkins, so Shannon has an outside shot of making the roster. It is more likely, however, that someone who has been around longer will take the spot and Shannon will spend time developing on the practice squad. Learning from this defensive line group for an entire year would do any young player wonders. 

Ron Stone Jr., EDGE, Washington State

If this name sounds familiar to you, that would be because Ron Stone Jr. is the son of Ron Stone, two-time All-Pro offensive lineman and two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys. His father also spent time in the Bay playing for both the 49ers and Raiders for two seasons each from 2002 to 2005. Stone also played for Antonio Pierce’s mentor, Tom Coughlin, at Boston College from 1991-1993. Enough about his dad, let’s talk about the player at hand.

Ron Stone Jr. was an Honorable Mention All-Pac 12 player his senior year, recording 60 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks. Yes, he is on the lighter end of edge rushers, weighing only 246 pounds, but at 6-foot-3 he is very fast and athletic, and comes from an NFL bloodline. He was on the watch list for multiple major college football awards last season, and he seemed to play his best football in the biggest games.

Against Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, he recorded three tackles for loss, at Washington in a rivalry game he collected nine tackles, including one for a loss, and against Oregon, he totaled seven tackles and one for a loss. He is a bit of a project but the Raiders are looking for a fourth pass rusher to step up on the edge. It would be Janarius Robinson right now, but Stone may have the best odds of any player I mentioned making the team.

At the very least he should be protected on the practice squad each week until he can gain enough weight to be effective in NFL games. Let’s not forget how skinny Maxx Crosby was coming out of Eastern Michigan.