Shalom Luani made a big impact on the Cougs in his two seasons on the Palouse. The defense hadn’t seen someone who could lay the wood quite like him since Deone Bucannon was drafted following the 2013 season and his All Pac-12 First Team status his senior year cemented his excellent legacy.
Now, that’s paying off for Luani. The American Samoa native was taken in the seventh round of the NFL Draft today by the Oakland Raiders.
A part of Alex Grinch’s vaunted ball-hawking defenses, Luani racked up eight interceptions in his two years at WSU, including one to seal an overtime win in Eugene and another returned for a touchdown against Oregon State in 2015.