The Raiders have looked excellent in the preseason this year and that is due to their depth showing out in a major way. They’ve had several unheralded players step up and have big-time performances over the last two weeks. But which player has seen their stock rise the most for the Raiders?
In a recent article by Vic Tafur of The Athletic, he wrote about several players who have seen their stock rise since the preseason started. One of those players is none other than Malcolm Koonce, who was a bit of an afterthought after the selection of Tyree Wilson at No. 7.
Here is a snippet of what Tafur had to say about the former third-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft:
And, against the Rams, the third-year defensive end was a force. He was only credited with one quarterback hit, but he got off the ball quickly, won consistently at the line of scrimmage and constantly pressured Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett. He has gone from his roster status being in jeopardy to looking like he can be an effective rotational pass rusher.
According to Pro Football Focus, Koonce finished the game with the highest pass-rush grade of anybody on the team (80.3) as he recorded two pressures on just 14 pass-rush snaps.
While it’s a fairly small sample size, Koonce is someone worth watching as we wait for Wilson to make his NFL debut. He’s got a chance to be the No. 4 defensive end on the roster and things are finally starting to click for him in Year 3.
