The Las Vegas Raiders recently released one of their former draft picks, defensive tackle Byron Young, a move that surprised many within Raider Nation.
Now, they have an opportunity to add to their defensive line depth by potentially adding another one of their former draft picks to the room.
Former Raiders defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. was recently cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders had traded Farrell to Kansas City last season, in exchange for a 2024 draft pick, which turned out to be running back Dylan Laube.
Farrell did not live up to the expectations set for him during his short time as a Raider. He wouldn't see his first career game until Week 5 of the 2022 season when he took the field for 21 defensive snaps. Farrell would play in nine games his rookie season, totaling 12 tackles, one for a loss and two quarterback hits.
Farrell was placed on the non-football injury list the following training camp before being activated in early August. He would be traded just before the start of the 2024 season.
Farrell played in just three games for Kansas City last year, seeing the field for just 33 defensive snaps. He did, however, see time in the Chiefs' Super Bowl run, playing five defensive snaps against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title game and 16 defensive snaps against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, recording a tackle and a pass defensed in the contest.
While Farrell did not pan out for the Raiders, he now has valuable playoff experience under his belt and could serve as a great addition to the practice squad. He, of course, already knows many of Las Vegas' defensive players, as well as Coach Antonio Pierce and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Las Vegas selected Farrell in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He had previously been a key starter at LSU, where he made three starts during the Tigers' 2019 national championship season.
Farrell played in 52 games in his five seasons at LSU, making 21 starts. He totaled 144 tackles, 23 for losses, 7.5 sacks, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
