i don't use VMware esxi, (i use workstation) however i do know the adaptec 71605 cards are supported in most 6.x releases of esxi
the driver you linked to appears to be for esxi v6x series not the v6.5 release
https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/detail.php?deviceCategory=io&productid=34333
the latest card bios/driver(s) are posted on the adaptec/microsemi web page
https://storage.microsemi.com/en-us/support/raid/sas_raid/sas-71605/
HBA (Host Bus Adapter) mode sets the card to non raid, standard SATA 6GBps mode allowing just about any sata drive to be accessed
i assume the 71605 card's bios is showing the sata drives attached to it?