Raiders: Divine Deablo late in the draft can aid their struggling secondary

Divine Deablo from Virginia Tech spent his first season as a wide receiver, then quickly switched to defensive back. He ended up playing 41 games in four seasons at defensive back for the Hokies, and in 2020 he showed the skills needed to be drafted this year. He just may be a fit with the Las Vegas Raiders as they look to keep up with the high-powered AFC West quarterbacks.

Deablo comes in as an interesting player out of college, with linebacker size, wide receiver agility, but defensive back instincts. He is following in the tweener footsteps we have seen other players do in recent years. Deablo is just far less polished than the tweener Isaiah Simmons, Clemson last year, or Sua Cravens, USC a few years ago.

The Raiders have a lot of questions in their secondary coming into the NFL Draft, and just as many at inside linebacker. They reached on Arnett last year at the corner and his rookie season though injured left much to be desired. Johnathan Abram is currently listed as both a starting linebacker and starting safety, and after several years in the league, we know what Jeff Heath is at free safety. Heath is more of a stop-gap than a long-term starter on just about any team in the league right now.

Divine Deablo can fill either free safety or an inside linebacker slot for the Raiders. As he is currently 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds. Where will he look to land in the 2021 NFL Draft?

When would the Raiders need to target Divine Deablo in the NFL Draft?

Due to the depth of the safety class and safety three and safety, seven on most boards are pretty close they can wait. There is also the question of where to play him, as he is too big for the corner he will need to figure out if he is a linebacker or safety. That could push him down as well, the fifth round would be the latest they could get him.

But, with their current need a the position and his versatility at the moment he could be more valuable to them and they could use a third-round pick on him, though I think that’s unlikely at the current moment. Unless there is a run on safeties between pick 21 and pick 60, then they may have to use a third-round pick on him. I expect the top-three safties to be gone by the middle of the second round.

What are the positives for Divine Deablo?

His size and versatility give him the ability to play multiple positions and stay on the field. After changing from wide receiver his freshman year, you know he has the pass-catching ability and quick feet. Diablo was a consistent contributor over his time with the Hokies, so a Raiders defense that has had a lack of top-end production or health could use that ability.

The tweener position is becoming more fluid at the next level, and that’s where he projects.

Deablo let his pass-catching shine last year in eight games as he caught four picks and broke up four other passes. He has the ability to get in and out of traffic near the line of scrimmage and go sideline to line well. There is a little lack of top-end speed, but he can make clean solid tackles when he does get to the ball carrier.

His ability to get tackles from the safety spot in college shows he is not afraid of contact and is not a ball-hawk first player.

This will be key if they decide to pack size on him and put him at linebacker, but that could come at a cost with his already limited speed. Right now he is kind of like playdough he can be molded into whatever you want or need. Gain weight to be a linebacker, lose it, work on athletics, and be a solid safety. He is a blank slate, that comes with visions of a great painting.

Divine is not completely Divine and does come with his own downsides

He lacks top-end athletic ability to project as a top-flight safety at the next level, and his size has already ruled him out from a change to corner. Though he spent five years in college only four were at defensive back, with one of those seasons being just four games. It took him a while to adjust to the position, while tackling was no issue it took him until his third season at the position to get double-digit interceptions.

His size could be his downfall, if he continues to get bigger he will have no choice, but to be an inside linebacker.

Being new to the position and athletically not as fit for it as other players could take him longer at the next level to get used to it. While he is extremely versatile right now and can jump in and out of positions if not much changes he should stick at the free safety. There are concerns about how fluid his hips will be as well, and if he can flip and run with some of the best wide receivers, or his change in direction ability.

While it is not his fault Divine will also have another downside.

The safety class is very shallow. There are only three day-one type starters in this draft, and due to that, they will be over-drafted. After that, the next 10 or so players are for the most part interchangeable. So teams may have to overdraft a safety early if it is a need just to make sure they can avoid having to scrape what’s left in the later rounds.