Did the Raiders outsmart everyone with the Malcolm Koonce pick?

The Las Vegas Raiders have been the butt of many jokes the last couple of offseasons, especially when it comes to their unconventional approach to the NFL Draft. Even prior to hiring Mike Mayock as their general manager, the Raiders have received plenty of harsh critiques for their draft approach since Jon Gruden became the head coach of the team in 2018.

Back in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Raiders were heavily criticized for taking UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller as high as they did, but it’s safe to say that Miller has proven the Raiders were right about him.

When the Raiders hired Mike Mayock away from the NFL Network in the 2019 offseason, their draft approach became even more curious.

They used the fourth overall pick in the draft on Clemson pass rusher Clelin Ferrell before using another pair of first-round picks acquired in trades on running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram.

In 2020, they once again had multiple first-round picks and used those on Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette.

Keeping on brand, the Raiders used their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Alex Leatherwood, one of the most surprising picks in the draft in general.

The Raiders’ more surprising picks are not limited to just their first-round selections, either. They make plenty of surprising picks in the earlier rounds in general, and one of the more head-scratching selections in the 2021 NFL Draft for any team was the Raiders’ third-round pick spent on pass rusher Malcolm Koonce.

Koonce had a foot injury that kept him from showing what he could do in workouts this offseason, but his productivity is out there in the form of two first-team All-MAC selections for all to see.

In his last 19 games (2019 and 2020 seasons), Koonce racked up 64 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks along with three forced fumbles (all in 2019) and two passes broken up.

Koonce has a unique ability to accelerate quickly upfield off the snap in pass rush situations, and length to strong-arm offensive tackles before using his strong hands to rip through them.

Some projected Koonce as a mid-late day three player in this draft class, not strictly based on his foot injury suffered in January. That foot injury alone may have been reason to wait until day three to pull the trigger on a pick like this, but for a team as starved for pass rush production as the Las Vegas Raiders, it might be worth the risk.

Had Koonce been able to play at the Senior Bowl and work out for teams, it’s possible that his stock would have ascended even higher than where the Raiders ended up taking him.

Some have concerns over his ability to hold up against the run consistently, but that’s nothing a little time in an NFL weight room can’t fix.

Although the Raiders received some significant criticism for the selection of Malcolm Koonce, there are enough splashy pass rush plays on his tape at Buffalo to think he could be something in that regard, and pass rushers are so valuable in today’s game.