Notre Dame Draft Watch: Te’von Coney Makes Sense for the Oakland Raiders

Notre Dame linebacker Te’von Coney would fit in well with the Silver and Black.

It was a rebuilding year for the Oakland Raiders. But just because this past season was a rebuilding year does not mean that there are not still big holes to fill as they look toward the 2019 season. The Raiders said goodbye to the league’s best pass rusher in Khalil Mack when they shipped him off to Chicago, and they lost Amari Cooper when they traded him to the Cowboys.

With Mack out of the picture, adding pass rushers will be at the top of the list for Oakland, a team that consistently struggled to get to the quarterback this season. This is a rather deep NFL Draft class in this respect — a class that features a plethora of talented pass rushers — so look for Oakland to find a way to add to this group in the first round and beyond. The Raiders also need some help at wide receiver and cornerback — two positions that could be filled with two of their three first-round draft picks.

All of that said, the Raider defense was one of the worst in the league from top to bottom. And while adding pass rushers and a cornerback helps, Oakland also needs to find stability at the linebacker position. If Oakland wants to take a linebacker high, it is possible that they select Devin White out of LSU. He is an elite-level linebacker who has a great ability to move laterally. Where he may lack mental quickness at times he makes up for in physical ability.

However, the Raiders may very well forgo White for the sake of positions they feel need to be filled first. They have a group of returning linebackers who are fairly put together, but I still expect the Raiders to beef up here if they can.

This is where I can see them taking Te’von Coney.

Coney lacks the pure ability of an elite linebacker, but he is aggressive and largely mentally acute. His lateral ability is average, but his strength is in his tackling ability, making him an attractive option for the struggling Raiders defense. I get the feeling that Coney might be the guy they go to if Oakland does not commit to getting a linebacker early on. He would act as the young guy who could be molded to fill some needs on the inside and complement the returning players.

But aside from where Coney makes sense on the field for the Raiders, he also makes sense in the front office. With the hiring of Mike Mayock as General Manager, the Raiders added a former color commentator for Notre Dame football — a position he held for five years. Mayock’s connection to Notre Dame might play into the Raiders’ decision to pick up Coney later in the draft if they are looking for ways to bolster their linebacker corps.