The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to improve on their linebacker play from last season.
Part of that turnaround is expected to come from third year player Divine Deablo, who was injured for a considerable amount of time in 2022 because of a broken arm. Even in the eight games he did play, Deablo had 74 tackles.
Deablo will now wear the green dot for Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit, so the latter can communicate plays to the former.
The Raiders selected Florida linebacker Amari Burney in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft as a player who is not technically proficient as a linebacker but has impressive instincts and great athleticism.
Burney and Deablo actually share one thing in common: both players are former defensive backs who are now linebackers.
While Burney made the switch from defensive back to linebacker in college and Deablo made the switch when he entered the NFL, both players share the transition that is not uncommon for defensive backs to make at some point.
Deablo has made impressive strides since entering the NFL, showing flashes of good play at linebacker, when it was not a position he was familiar with just two years ago. Deablo’s defensive back experience is evident in his speed and athleticism popping on tape.
Burney could follow Deablo’s path, even though he has a few more years of experience playing linebacker, the speed of the NFL is unrelenting and he still has room to grow as a player. Burney has the physical traits to play linebacker in the NFL at 6-2, 228 with 4.5 speed.
With these two former defensive backs at linebacker, Graham has several options with what he can do defensively. Their versatility should pose an advantage for his defense, as they both have the speed to stop the run downhill and the athleticism to cover players over the middle of the field.
While both Burney and Deablo are far from finished products as linebackers, the progress they have both shown as former defensive backs at that position is encouraging. As each of them develops as a linebacker, their progress will not only help them as players, but the entire Raiders defense.
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