Penn State Football: Jason Cabinda finished above expectations
In each of the last two NFL Drafts, Penn State football linebackers went undrafted but made an impact on the field. Jason Cabinda is another example.
What the NFL Draft process told Penn State football linebackers in each of the last two years was you’re not good enough to get drafted. The response, much like I talked about in Brandon Bell’s article a couple of days ago, was, “I’ll prove the analysts wrong.” Rookie undrafted free agent Jason Cabinda lived out that statement like Bell did.
Although he ranked ninth in all-time tackles in Penn State history (286) and was a three-year starter for the Nittany Lions, he received a late round to undrafted rating from NFL.com. The scouts said something similar to Bell’s profile – that he lacked speed at times and that he rarely was the first one to the ball.
The NFL followed suit and Cabinda went undrafted. Cabinda’s time unsigned lasted only a short period, as he signed with the Oakland Raiders May 3, 2018. Just like his fellow former PSU starting linebacker Bell, he made the team.
Then, Cabinda rapidly rose up the depth chart in year one. He went from undrafted to a contributor recording four tackles in week nine. One week later he earned his first start and racked up three more stops.
In total, he played in 10 games, all consecutively after his first appearance, which is a good sign he wasn’t sent back down the rotation. He started three games and recorded 21 tackles and one QB hit. During the season head coach Jon Gruden even said that he believes Cabinda has, “Got that stuff,” to start at middle linebacker, according to the Raiders’ Wire. He’s turned heads, including the most important one.
Related Story. Penn State Football: Brandon Bell adding to “Linebacker U”. light
He looks like he’s found a home in Oakland. It’s pretty amazing that a place like Penn State can be called, “Linebacker U”, yet all these magnificent stars go undrafted. Talent evaluators are always going to dissect a player’s game ad nauseam but still this another miss. Cabinda clearly has the skills to succeed in the NFL.