Cian Slone aims to translate NC State production into a Las Vegas Raiders roster spot

The Las Vegas Raiders enter another training-camp stretch looking for impact from the margins, and Cian Slone is betting his next opportunity will be earned the same way his past production was built, through pressure and disruption. Slone, an undrafted rookie pass rusher from NC State, is trying to convert his final college season and athletic testing into a clearer path to a roster role with the Raiders.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Raiders signed 21 undrafted rookies this offseason. The point of that group is not uniform, but the shared expectation is that someone, or several players, can create separation on special teams and in rotation snaps. Slone is described as the most eye-catching option among the group so far, with his camp work framed as a push for snaps in 2026.

Slone’s most recent numbers at NC State helped define why he is getting attention. In his lone season with the Wolfpack, he logged 61 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. The production profile also included an interception and a fumble recovery, plus a 14% pass rush win rate and 37 pressures, which is the type of workload and efficiency teams often monitor when evaluating how a player impacts quarterbacks even when sack totals do not dominate.

His college path included a prior stop at Utah State, where his production was even more concentrated earlier in his career. Yahoo Sports reports that in his first two seasons at Utah State from 2023 to 2024, Slone recorded 77 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. That stretch also included 4 pass breakups and 3 forced fumbles, a reminder that the skill set scouts project often shows up in both pressures and the way a defender affects the ball.

The storyline behind Slone, at least as presented in the report, is that he generated enough draft interest to be “buzz” adjacent but ultimately went undrafted. That is not unusual for defenders whose profiles depend on translating repeatable pressure into consistent snaps at the pro level. For Slone, the immediate need is simple: show that the traits responsible for those 37 pressures and ball-hawking plays can become more frequent and more decisive in the Raiders’ defensive rotation and on special teams.

With the Raiders’ veteran competition in front of him, the leverage point for an undrafted pass rusher typically comes from three places, early reps in group settings, special-teams trust, and the ability to win enough one-on-one matchups to force coaching decisions. The Yahoo Sports piece frames Slone’s work as coming alongside a group of UDFA rookies where none have flashed as much yet, which puts a premium on continued productivity during camp practices and preseason evaluations.

For fans and evaluators, the next watch is whether Slone’s profile holds up when the speed of the game changes. Pressures and tackle-for-loss production can translate into a role, but the transition also depends on discipline and how quickly a defender reads and reacts within NFL concepts. If Slone continues to draw attention in practice, he could become one of the more practical “finds” from the Raiders’ summer intake, a trend that often influences how teams reshape the depth chart going into September.

At the same time, it is worth keeping expectations measured. A single summer narrative does not settle whether a player can sustain performance through the full slate of preseason reps, and undrafted players face a steep, roster-driven competition where opportunities can be limited by scheme fit and the quality of the incumbents. Still, Slone’s track record of pressure generation and disruptive plays is exactly what the Raiders need to find if they want their new rookie class to matter beyond camp headlines.