The Raiders have a new front office and coaching staff in place for the 2022 season. Usually, that means draft picks from the previous regime get pushed aside for other players brought in by the new management.
However, there are a handful of recent draft picks that could earn more snaps with Josh McDaniels now in charge.
Here are six recent draft selections with an opportunity to play more and provide a big impact for the Raiders in 2022:
LB Divine Deablo (third round, 2021)
2021 snaps: 296
Deablo started to play more at the end of the season for the Raiders and he made a huge stop against Nick Chubb and the Browns on third down to help win that game. But going into the 2022 season, he should have a much bigger role.
The expectation is that he should compete for a starting job, likely as the weakside linebacker. After making the position change from safety to linebacker, he appears ready to make a big step this season.
SS Tyree Gillespie (fourth round, 2021)
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
2021 snaps: 13
With the Raiders declining the fifth-year option on Johnathan Abram, that could open up more snaps for Gillespie as he is better in coverage. He hardly played last year, but he should see 300-400 snaps, at minimum, this year as new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham loves to rotate safeties onto the field.
EDGE Malcolm Koonce (third round, 2021)
(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
2021 snaps: 48
Koonce was blocked by Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue last year and he had trouble even being active on game day. But when he did play, he flashed.
With the Raiders playing more 3-4 this year, Koonce makes a lot more sense as a standup pass rusher. He still won’t start in 2022, but he could be the first pass-rusher off the bench and could see 400+ snaps in Year 2.
CB Amik Robertson (fourth round, 2020)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2021 snaps: 137
Nate Hobbs won the slot cornerback job in 2021, leaving Robertson on the bench. Gus Bradley preferred bigger cornerbacks on the outside and that just didn’t leave a spot open for the former fourth-round pick.
But with a new coaching staff and Hobbs likely moving to the outside in Year 2, Robertson will compete for the slot job once again. Don’t be surprised if this new coaching staff can find a better role for one of the most productive defensive backs in college football history.
EDGE Clelin Ferrell (first round, 2019)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
2021 snaps: 261
Ferrell quickly fell out of favor with the previous regime and was a healthy scratch some weeks. He saw his snap total decline in each of the last three years as they couldn’t find a spot for him on the defense.
But with the change in the defensive scheme, Ferrell might have a bigger role as an inside pass rusher and as a five-technique on early downs.
CB Trayvon Mullen (second round, 2019)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
2021 snaps: 229
Mullen was locked into a starting role in 2019 and 2020 before dealing with injuries in 2021. But even when he was healthy, the previous coaching staff didn’t really seem to love him.
In Patrick Graham’s defense, he is the ideal outside cornerback that can man-to-man or zone. As long as he can stay healthy, he should play 800+ snaps again in 2022.
