The Las Vegas Raiders went into the 2024 NFL draft with a specific goal in mind. They wanted to find players who fit the culture of the team that head coach Antonio Pierce is building with his players and with his players. They want players who are extremely tough and are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
“Look at our head coach and what he’s looking for and his mentality,” general manager Tom Telesco said. “We need guys that can match that and fit that culture. On some of the phone calls with players when you talk to them you can feel that already and you haven’t even seen them yet. Our scouts are on the road and they not only have to look at the football player between the white lines, but everything else about the person that goes into it.”
As Ohio State fans know, nobody who was available in the draft this year fits that bill better than linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, who proved he would try to be on the field as much as he can, playing through a dislocated elbow in the loss to Michigan last season, and through two broken hands the year before. He thinks he couldn’t have found a better fit for him in the NFL.
“No I could not have. I think it’s a perfect fit,” Eichenberg said. “I’m excited to get to work and to try to help the team in any way possible.
“They’re really, really tough dudes that love the game of football and play really, really hard. That’s something I try to pride myself on too, and that’s something I hope to add to this team.”
He does that because he loves the game of football so much, something he told teams when he was meeting with them before the NFL draft. And the Raiders can rest knowing they chose someone who will always give their all.
“That was something I told a lot of teams is my love for the game is unmatched,” Eichenberg said. “There’s nothing else I want to do in my life. It’s hard to turn off, but I love the game. I’m always around it, always trying to learn. I can’t even name all of the things I’ve back in college that revolved around football because I just love the game so much. I love the dudes, love the coaches, everything that comes with it. I’m excited to continue my journey.”
Telesco could tell that from just a few phone calls and Zoom meetings the team had with the linebacker, and he liked that about Eichenberg.
“He’s big, he’s really smart and aware, hustle, motor, he likes to hit,” Telesco said. “He’s all ball all the time. He runs really well for a bigger linebacker and he’s been well coached through high school and then obviously at Ohio State”
Now Eichenberg will try to make the Raiders roster next season, and he will be playing under Pierce, who himself is a former NFL linebacker, which Eichenberg is excited to take advantage of.
“I’m really excited to learn from him,” Eichenberg said. “How he sees the game as a former linebacker. He was a great player. How he sees the game and how he coaches us too. I can’t wait.”
He thinks that being at Ohio State for the five years he was there will only help him when he’s trying to make the team later this year because of the competition he was always facing with the Buckeyes.
“It’ll help me a lot,” Eichenberg said. “I’ve played football at the highest level in college at Ohio State where the expectations are so high and where there’s someone coming to take your spot every single day and if you don’t show up that’s your spot on the line.”
