Raiders’ Divine Deablo continuing to make transition
Looking back, it seems like a million years ago. And to be fair to Divine Deablo, when the then-rookie took the field in the Raiders’ final preseason game last year, he was coming off just a couple of practices after missing all of spring camps and most of training camp while rehabbing a knee injury.
He also was making the transition from college safety at Virginia Tech to professional linebacker.
In other words, it was a loose term to describe him as ready.
That performance was the culmination of his life-long dream of playing in the NFL and an eye-opening wake-up call he used to build a sturdy professional foundation. And not in a good way.
“I got whupped,” is how he described the experience Tuesday.
Nearly a year later he can find the silver lining — humbling as it was given the difficulties he had keeping up with a 49ers offense that semed in midseason form. Preseason or not, they dumped everything on the Raiders, and it made Deablo’s head spin. He finished with nine tackles, but it was clear he wasn’t ready — mentally or physically.
Deablo said he was embarrassed by his performance. But rather than let it define his first year, he used it as a season-long reminder of the effort needed to compete at this level.
“I realized I had to work a lot harder,” Deablo said. “Whether it’s grind more or study more, that’s what I continued to do.”
When the Raiders turned to him he was ready. The call came in Week 13 when he came off the bench against Washington and delivered 11 tackles in 38 snaps. A week later he was in the starting lineup, a job he never surrendered.
In all, he played in 18 games — including the playoff loss to the Bengals — and made five starts and finished with 53 tackles. It doesn’t guarantee him a starting job this year, but given how he’s lined up exclusively with the first-team defense in camp, it would be a surprise if he was unseated.
Deablo is one of a handful of young defensive players the Raiders are counting on to make big strides this year. Fellow second-year defenders Tre’von Moehrig (safety) and Nate Hobbs (slot corner) are among the others. All three turned in solid rookie seasons.
If each can continue to build on what they did, the Raiders defense has a chance to be an asset.
For Deablo, the challenge is a little a bit steeper than his teammates as he continues to make the adjustment from safety to linebacker.
“I’m trying to grow every day and improve every day,” Deablo said.
Interestingly Deablo graded out better as a run defender than in pass coverage, even though pass defense was considered a strength after playing on the back-end in college. On the other hand, the vantage point he was seeing the game from while playing closer to the line of scrimmage was completely new to him.
“Being at safety, I could see the whole field,” Deablo said. “At linebacker you have to look around more, you’ve got to know what’s behind you. So it’s tougher, but I’m getting a better feel for it.”
While the Raiders are expected to be a base 3-4 defense — with Deablo lining up more inside along with Denzel Perryman — it’s expected they will play more than 70 percent of the time in their sub package. Deablo’s improvement as a pass defender will be the key to him staying on the field beyond known run plays.
It’s been a while since the Raiders had a reliable pass-cover linebacker, but Deablo has the necessary skill-set to change that.
“I feel comfortable,” Deablo said. “More comfortable than I was last year.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
