The Raiders are relying a lot on Divine Deablo to anchor their linebacker position this year. The team moved on from Denzel Perryman, who was a Pro Bowl selection for them during the 2021 season. Now, it’s Deablo’s turn to be the leader of the defense.
In a recent article by ESPN, they named each team’s biggest offseason standout this year. For the Raiders, that player was none other than Deablo. Here is what senior writer Paul Gutierrez had to say about the former safety from Virginia Tech:
The third-year linebacker, a converted safety, has been granted the “green dot” on his helmet as the defensive signal-caller. This comes after he played just eight games last season due to a broken right arm suffered at Jacksonville. Still, his 74 tackles at the time of his season-ending injury led Las Vegas and were tied for eighth most in the league at the time.
“Honestly, it makes myself proud because when I was younger I played quarterback,” said Deablo, who has noticeably bulked up. “So now, being the green dot is like quarterback of the defense, so it puts a smile on my face.”
All of the buzz out of the Raiders’ camp has been positive regarding Deablo. It’s clear that he is putting in the work to be a high-level starter and going into Year 3, the Raiders need him to play well. But so far, all the news has been positive. It seems like a breakout season is just around the corner for Deablo.
