Te’Von Coney, Linebacker, Notre Dame
Te’Von Coney out of Notre Dame was another shocking undrafted free agent. PFF had him ranked as their 57th best overall prospect in the draft. The site wrote that both his coverage and run-defense grade were top 10 among linebackers.
Unfortunately, Coney was busted for marijuana possession and suffered an injury while at Notre Dame, causing him to fall out of the draft. Luckily for the Raiders, there’s a chance the team landed a future starter at linebacker in Coney.
During his four years with the Fighting Irish, Coney amassed 313 tackles with 23 coming for a loss including seven sacks. He has a knack for stopping the runner near or at the line of scrimmage.
Te’Von Coney signing with the Raiders. Uh Oh. He can win the job. pic.twitter.com/5nLTclV17K
— Maliik 🏁 (@Obee1ne) April 28, 2019
Zerlein gave Coney a fourth or fifth round draft grade and compared him to Saints linebacker Craig Robertson.
Coney is an average athlete with average size but shows an impressive resilience to stay alive and make tackles, even when he looks like he might be blocked. He’s consistent as a square-up, wrap-up tackler, but teams might want to see him play with more juice as a disruptor willing to take a few more downhill chances. If he runs well and adds some beef, Coney could project as an average starter at a two-down, inside linebacker spot.
Right now Brandon Marshall has the inside linebacker spot locked down. But he is under contract for just one season. If Coney makes the team, there’s a chance he could battle for a starting role come 2020.
It isn’t often you find a talent like Coney in the UDFA period. If he could get over his red flags and play like how he did at Notre Dame, the Raiders might have found themselves a future starter on defense.
