Malcolm Koonce is an Early Breakout Candidate for 2024

The Las Vegas Raiders ended the 2023-24 NFL regular season finishing with a top-ten defense. Many key aspects were a part of the reason why the Raiders finished with a top-ten defense, however, the Raiders' defensive line was led by a dynamic duo led by edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce.

In a recent Pro Football Focus article, the website listed an early breakout candidate for all 32 NFL teams, and edge rusher Koonce is listed as the Raiders' early breakout candidate for next season.

During the back half of the 2023-24 NFL regular season, Koonce became a well-known edge rusher and put the entire league on notice. He finished the season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 81.3, a run defense grade of 66.3, and a pass rush grade of 78.9. From weeks 9-18 Koonce finished with an 83.4 PFF which ranked him among the top 15 at his position.

Koonce finished the season with 32 solo tackles, 11 assists, and 8.0 sacks in 17 games this season in his third season as an edge rusher for the Silver and Black defense. He has 40 solo tackles, 15 assists, and 10.0 sacks in his career.