Raiders take chance on DT Eddie Vanderdoes
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Eddie Vanderdoes has done it before.
He was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school in Auburn, California. He was dominant at times to start his UCLA career. His fast track then was derailed, a torn anterior cruciate ligament sidelining him for nearly all of 2015. He struggled with his weight in his final season with the Bruins, partly caused by playing through a number of injuries.
The Raiders need Vanderdoes to regain his form.
He is confident he can.
They selected the defensive tackle in the third round Friday with the No. 88 overall pick. His best production is found deep in his college football film archive, and there is no guarantee he can recreate it in the NFL. But in need of interior line help, the Raiders took a chance, hoping to maximize his skills and pedigree.
It seems a worthwhile gamble.
A healthy Vanderdoes impressed at the Senior Bowl. He also showed good size at the NFL Scouting Combine, being measured at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 305 pounds with 33 1/8-inch arms and 10 5/8-inch hands. He is down to 302 pounds, he told reporters in a Friday conference call, or about 40 pounds lighter than where he ended the season.
He suffered a high ankle sprain on three occasions in 2016, he said. He still started all 12 games.
“I definitely think that people slept on me a little bit this offseason,” Vanderdoes said. “I love the fact they slept on me; I think that’s what motivated me every morning waking up is knowing that I get to prove people wrong. I think I’ve done a good job so far of that, and I’m going to keep doing that as an Oakland Raider because I know I’m at the bottom again (as a rookie). I’ve got to work my way back up.”
Vanderoes acknowledged he was not proud of the player he was as a college senior.
While saying his knee is “100 percent,” he vowed not to be that player as a Raider.
“I had a bad season,” Vanderdoes said. “That wasn’t me. That’s not the person that I am. That’s not the character that I hold. I’m definitely going to bring that (energy) to the Raiders’ defensive line.”
His selection concluded the draft’s second day for the Raiders.
All three of Oakland’s picks have been defensive players, first cornerback Gareon Conley and second safety Obi Melifonwu. It has four selections Saturday to conclude the draft. One comes in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. Two are in the seventh.
Michael Gehlken can be reached at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.