Raiders continue to add to defense by drafting Divine Deablo from Virginia Tech with 80th pick

With their second pick in the third round, the Raiders selected linebacker/safety Divine Deablo from Virginia Tech.

In his career, he racked up 206 tackles with 12.5 coming for loss. He also added six interceptions with 11 pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

Scouting report (via The Draft Network)

Divine Deablo came to Virginia Tech to play wide receiver but transitioned to safety after his freshman season—he went on to start for three seasons. While he enters the NFL with plenty of experience, he’s still a work in progress when it comes to processing and responding to play concepts as he has a tendency to slow play his reads and his trigger can be tardy. In addition, his functional athleticism doesn’t present enough recovery ability, which presents restrictions with the roles he can fill in the defensive back-seven. He does have some occasional flashes of physicality, but he does not consistently play up to his weight class to serve as an imposing presence in the secondary like his frame suggests he should.

Deablo enters the NFL with high marks regarding his football character and is a proven special teams contributor. While he won’t be an option for every defense, for teams looking for a dime linebacker, a low safety, or one that wants to implement more three-safety sets, Deablo is an appealing option. His special teams ability will give him a chance to develop and earn a role.

Directly before the Deablo pick, the Raiders selected Buffalo defensive end Malcolm Koonce with the 79th pick.