Oakland Raiders Player Profile: DE Christo Bilukidi

Oren Shiri – Jun 8, 2012

In the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected defensive end Christo Bilukidi from Georgia State. Bilukidi, adds some international flair to the roster. He was born in Angola and is the son of a diplomat. Having grown up in France and Brazil, Bilukidi came late to football as a result and is seen as a raw talent at this point.

In his college football career at GSU, Bilukidi had 10 sacks with 16 tackles for loss. He is the first player in the program’s two-year history to be drafted by a NFL team.  Good size, (6-5, 315 pounds) and good speed for his position, (4.9 second 40-yard dash) the defensive lineman has the ability to change direction quite well.

After he was drafted, he indicated to the press that it wasn’t shocking to him that he was drafted.

"It really didn’t [shock him] because up from the All-Star game I really did what I needed to do to show a lot of these scouts that I can play at a higher level. From my pro day, all my measurables that I tested were really good. All these teams already were calling me and I had a really good feeling about it. It wasn’t a big surprise to me."

He is versatile, but very raw and lacks necessary football instincts. Bilukidi was the only Raiders draftee that made a visit to their facility prior to the draft.

Believe or not, he’s one of those former basketball players with long reaches, but making the switch to football became easy for him. He has a big frame with excellent length and overall wingspan, (34.5’ arm length).

However due to the lack of experience facing top notch competition in college, this offseason with the Raiders he will need to continue to bulk up and strengthen himself because he is still a bit lean to play on the defensive line in the NFL.

He may appear big and well-built, but it’s the functional strength Bilukidi needs to improve upon.  

Bilukidi's athletic career began in Ottawa, Ontario Canada as a basketball player. He moved to football fairly recently as a senior in High School. Bilukidi played for Eastern Arizona Junior College in 2009 where he was listed as playing defensive end for the first time.

The expectations may not be set high for him, since prior to rookie minicamp it was believed by most Bilukidi was a lock to be nothing more than a practice squad candidate. However, after rookie minicamp he believes he is fighting for a roster spot during OTA’s and working hard at it. That attitude and work-ethic will pay off for the young man.

Thursday he was one of the first Raider draft picks signed and he looks forward to participating in the upcoming mandatory minicamp that begins next week. 

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