Shortly after bringing in Tony Hills to help fill the void on the offensive line, the Oakland Raiders have claimed undrafted rookie linebacker Chase Thomas off of waivers according to Raiders.com:
The Oakland Raiders have claimed LB Chase Thomas via waivers, General Manager Reggie McKenzie announced Tuesday.
The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Thomas originally signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in April and was waived by the team on Monday.
Although undrafted, Thomas was considered one of the top prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft at the linebacker position. Thomas played well during his time at Stanford recording 7.5 sacks last season and leaving an impression on current Raiders defensive coordinator, Jason Tarver.
Once Thomas it the waiver wire, the Raiders’ front office didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity to bring in the promising young prospect. Tarver coached Thomas as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Stanford before taking the job to join Dennis Allen’s coaching staff in 2012.
In four years at Stanford, Thomas recorded 27.5 sacks, 229 tackles and two interceptions.
In order to make room on the roster for Thomas, the Raiders waived tackle John Wetzel.