Eddie Vanderdoes stepped on a scale before last weekend’s Raiders rookie minicamp practices. The read out proved a welcome sight.
301 pounds.
The Raiders were pleased. So was their third-round pick. That’s his fighting weight.
The Auburn native and UCLA product played the 2016 season in the 340s, and wasn’t the dominant force he was as an underclassman. An ACL tear killed his 2015 season, and series of ankle injuries and poor diet torpedoed 2016.
Vanderdoes wasn’t happy with his final collegiate campaign, and didn’t want to slog his way into the NFL. He lost roughly 40 pounds and regained his signature agility, explosion and power.