Noah Shannon Signs Free Agent Deal with Las Vegas Raiders
Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon will begin his pro career with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to a report by Scott Dochterman of The Athletic. Shannon, a 6'0", 285-pound DT, announced his signing Saturday after the NFL Draft came and went without a selection.
Shannon came back for a sixth season in 2023 serving an NCAA suspension for a state gambling investigation that, now, can most charitably be described as "botched."
RELATED COVERAGE:
Noah Shannon Involved in Iowa Sports Gambling Investigation
Kirk Ferentz On Iowa Gambling Investigation, Noah Shannon
Updates in the Iowa Sports Wagering Investigation -- An Ending in Sight?
Noah Shannon Suspended For Season By NCAA; Iowa Has Appealed Decision
NCAA Upholds Noah Shannon Suspension Following Appeal
Why Wait for the NCAA? Just Bring Noah Shannon Back Now
Noah Shannon Practicing, Preparing For Reinstatement
For Noah Shannon and Iowa Football, the Gut Punch Parade Continues
STRENGTHS
Shannon's stature at 6'0" and 285 pounds may scare some teams off, but his quickness off the snap can blow up running plays before they have a chance to begin, and he's strong enough to bring down bigger backs and QBs without difficulty.
Shannon's skill set is as complete as a coach would expect from a larger tackle, though. His smaller size also affords him the leverage necessary to stuff the point of attack and keep the linebackers behind him clean and upright, a frequent goal in Iowa's vaunted defense.
Stats are sexier, though, and Shannon was plenty productive when he was in attack mode. A two-year starter, Shannon finished with 107 tackles, 11 TFL, 4.5 sacks, a pair of passes broken up and a forced fumble during his career.
Shannon frequently punished one-on-one blocks against bigger, slower linemen and was able to create havoc in the backfield by simply beating his blockers to the point of attack with a quick first step and an array of hand-fighting moves.
WEAKNESSES
It's hard to say with a straight face that Noah Shannon's size is disqualifying for the NFL after Aaron Donald — all 6'1" and 280 of him — just wrapped up one of the best careers at DT in recent pro history. And yet: if 6'0" and 285 were a good idea for defensive tackles, D-III schools would be pumping them into the league.
Shannon is not quite the world-class athlete Donald is, of course, but his understanding of leverage and hand-fighting will make him a difficult matchup for many offensive linemen, as he was in the Big Ten. If an opposing guard or tackle is able to neutralize him one-on-one, though, the size aspect can turn into a liability.
Durability is also a bit of a concern.
Shannon played through a shoulder injury for most of 2022 and was already set to miss the first half of 2023 as he recovered from offseason surgery before the gambling investigation and NCAA suspension hijacked his season. The fact that Shannon was able to play through the pain for so long speaks to his toughness, but a surgically repaired shoulder is nonetheless a red flag.
We're not going to call the suspension a weakness or a negative, though. He placed a small bet on an Iowa game in a different sport, which is only a problem for NCAA eligibility and not the law enforcement arm that caught him up in a wide-ranging probe that has since led to all charges being dropped and a federal lawsuit against the state of Iowa.
Shannon has consistently taken responsibility for the bet and never denied his wrongdoing, to his credit. But a season-long suspension for a small bet, only detected by an almost certainly unconstitutional probe, cannot and should not be put on his shoulders as a character flaw. If anything, his maturity through a ridiculous set of circumstances should paint him in a positive light to NFL teams.
Still, Shannon does have an uphill battle as a smaller interior lineman, and none of his measurables (6'0", 285 pounds, 5.39 40, 21 bench reps) indicate the freakish athleticism that helped make Donald so unblockable. Shannon's first and most important task is to demonstrate pro viability for the Raiders.
WHAT CAN SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
Undrafted free agent signings are always tricky. Most careers don't amount to much more than a cup of coffee in the league, and those that do "stick" usually do so with a second or third team, as UFAs are often the most expendable chess pieces as teams tweak their rosters to fit personnel needs.
Still, if Shannon is back to prime form after a year off the field, all he's been asking for is the shot to prove himself, and his preseason game reps should be enough to demonstrate for the rest of the league that he's a tough, focused competitor who's hard to move off his spot.
Whether Shannon sticks with the Raiders or moves on, though, he'll have an eager fanbase rooting for his success back in Iowa City, as his career can finally get back to being about football.