Divine Deablo on Transition to Linebacker
Injuries have forced the Las Vegas Raiders to convert yet another hybrid safety to linebacker.
The third-round selection of this year's NFL Draft, safety Divine Deablo is the latest player converted to linebacker this offseason.
The Silver and Black are facing injuries before the start of the season, mainly at the linebacker group.
After missing a few practices in training camp, Deablo returned to practice last week to start converting positions.
"There is definitely an opportunity there. We got a lot of ground to cover, I certainly think I got to gain the coach's trust, and I just got to do my job at the end of the day," Deablo said.
He has felt very comfortable converting to linebacker, as he played hybrid safety position at Virginia Tech his final year in college.
"Did make it easier to transition to linebacker playing in a box a lot more at Virginia Tech, because I got a feel for the lineman, how they move when they pull, what gap I need to fit in so when I got here, it wasn't necessarily hard," Deablo said.
Deablo isn't doing this alone; second-year player Tanner Muse is also converting from safety to linebacker this year.
After missing his rookie season because of an injury, Muse returned to the team to fully convert to linebacker.
"Tanner Muse is an awesome man. I go to him whenever I have questions and he's always open to let me know. I actually live in the same neighborhood as him now because he helped me out with everything, where to actually buy a car, where to actually live," Deablo said. "As far as on the field, whenever I have a question I just go to him and he's always helping me."
The Raiders are ravaged with injuries at linebacker. Fortunately, the previous two draft classes have added players who played multiple positions in college.
Adding that versatility has paid off thus far regarding depth at that position, but the Raiders coaching staff is hoping the conversions pay off on the field come playing time.
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