Get to Know New Raider Keondre Coburn

The Las Vegas Raiders moved on from defensive tackle Christian Wilkins earlier this week, marking the end of what was supposed to be a franchise-changing move.

Wilkins suffered a foot injury early last season that ended his first year in Las Vegas, and while the expectation was that he would return healthy, the team did not see a path back to football, so they made the difficult decision to let him go.

Shortly after, the Raiders signed defensive tackle Keondre Coburn as a replacement. Coburn most recently played for the Tennessee Titans.

What are the Raiders getting in their new defensive tackle? Let’s get to know Keondre Coburn.

College Career and NFL Draft

Coburn starred at the University of Texas, earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2022. He finished his Longhorn career with 96 tackles, 15 for loss, two forced fumbles, two passes defended, and five and a half sacks.

Defensive lineman Keondre Coburn (91) runs through drills during the Tennessee Titans mandatory mini-camp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, June 4, 2024. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

He entered the 2023 NFL Draft with a day-three projection. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein offered this evaluation:

“A stout but athletic nose tackle with nimble feet, Coburn can sit down and muddy run lanes or create difficulties for pin-and-pull blocking schemes with his interior agility. While he’s not a three-down lineman, he does have the bull rush and activity level to cause issues as a rusher. He’s more than capable of pressing and separating from blocks as a two-gapping plugger but requires more consistent technique to improve his consistency in that area. Coburn’s blend of girth, power and agility could be coveted by teams looking for help along the interior.”

Coburn was selected in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs. He totaled eight tackles in his rookie season, but was released a few weeks into it.

NFL Career

The Denver Broncos added Coburn to their practice squad but released him shortly thereafter. He briefly returned to the Chiefs' practice squad before the Titans brought him in.

Coburn played in 15 games for Tennessee last season, totaling 14 tackles. The Titans let him go this week, and the Raiders added him to the Silver and Black.

Coburn is a big-bodied interior player at 6-foot-2 and 332 pounds. He should be able to stop the run up the middle on early downs, should the Raiders choose to use him that way.

Will Coburn catch on with the Raiders and be a serviceable defensive lineman? We will see as training camp progresses.

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