To be honest, this is one of the few years I can recall there being less struggling with predicting who the Raiders might keep and who they might cut. That’s not to say my predictions were perfect — they were pretty close — that’s to say there weren’t a lot of guys getting pushed out due to a numbers issue. Which is to say just too much talent at that position.
There were several positions, however, where they had the opposite problem. The most glaring was probably defensive tackle.
Outside the top three of Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, and Adam Butler, no one was stepping up to take the final couple spots on the depth chart.
So, when it came time for cuts, the Raiders were on the lookout for a player who was probably talented enough to make their roster, but still found themselves the odd man out on a more talented squad.
That was the case in Indianapolis. They had the good kind of problem where they are very deep at the position and so a tough cut had to happen. GM Chris Ballard had said it was the toughest position for him due to how deep it was.
The result was that both of the defensive tackles they waived were scooped up off the wire by other teams. Their 2022 fifth round pick Eric Johnson II was claimed by the Patriots and this year’s seventh rounder Jonah Laulu was claimed by the Raiders.
“I give Tom Telesco credit, now,” said Ballard of Raiders claiming Laulu. “Jonah, he’s probably not ready, but he will be one day. He’s going to be a good player.”
Telesco and Antonio Pierce were familiar with 6-5, 292-pouner because he is from Las Vegas and attended Centennial High School. And according to Pierce, the team was looking to draft him.
“Jonah was here at our local pro day, and I liked him,” said Pierce. “I was a little disappointed we didn’t get a chance to draft him, but you watch, you just look at your roster, you look at everybody else, you look at the waiver wire, and you make a decision. And we felt Jonah gives us some more depth and a little bit more juice in the D-line room.”
With Laulu available, the Raiders signed him and cut 2023 third round pick Byron Young who had a disappointing rookie season and didn’t appear to have improved any in this year’s camp and preseason.
Hard to say how much the Raiders were really looking to draft Laulu considering their last pick was at 229 where they selected CB MJ Devonshire and Laulu was picked at 234. Pierce and Telesco may have thought Laulu was draftable, but he just wasn’t at the top of their draft board when they picked. That’s how it happens sometimes.
Certainly with just 24 picks left in the draft, the Raiders were already working the phones and likely hoped they could land him as an undrafted free agent if nothing else. But the Colts made sure that didn’t happen.
No matter, in the end they got him anyway. And, for what it’s worth, they cut Devonshire as well and re-signed him to their practice squad.