They wouldn't be able to use throwing knives as throwing knives would be set to the weapon type knife, so they show in the hands as a blade. A set of animations which the deathclaws don't have. You could make a set of throwing knives (perhaps using the graphics from the rpgs) which don't have a melee attack and don't need the knife animation. They should then be able to throw them.
Arming, disarming mines requires the same animations so it's a matter of coding to allow them to be able to set mines. I never used the deathclaw recruits, but presumably them being able to disarm mines is the error, not that they can't set them.