The Oakland Raiders came into the 2016 NFL Draft without extremely pressing needs and opted to select West Virginia safety Karl Joseph at No. 14 overall.
The Raiders hauled in a veritable treasure trove of top-tier free agents recently that include guard Kelechi Osemele from the Ravens, outside linebacker Bruce Irvin from the Seahawks, cornerback Sean Smith from the Chiefs and safety Reggie Nelson from the Bengals.
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The Silver and Black appeared to be fielding a starting secondary of players with not one of them drafted by the organization for the first time in 50 years. However, Joseph may have an opportunity to crack those ranks, depending upon the health of safety Nate Allen.
Allen was plagued by injuries last season which led to some shuffling of personnel and a grossly inconsistent pass defense.
At 5’10″ and 205 pounds, Joseph was a ball-hawking, hit machine until sustaining an ACL injury in practice. In the first four games of the 2015 season, he led the FBS in interceptions with five and continued the aggressive play he’d built a reputation for with his 274 tackles and 16 for loss during his college career, according to Sports-Reference.com.
Although considered one of the quicker and more physical defensive backs, Joseph did not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Taken as the first pure safety off the board, some experts had him pegged as a second round pick due to medical concerns. It appears the Raiders are satisfied that Joseph’s ACL will be fully healed in time for training camp.
DRAFT GRADE: B
Drafting Joseph at No. 14 fills a need for the Raiders, but perhaps not the most pertinent concern. Other top-rated players still on the board at No. 14 included outside linebacker Darron Lee, defensive end Shaq Lawson, one of the nation’s sack leaders, and offensive tackle Taylor Decker. Also, Ezekiel Elliott was the only running back taken in the first round.
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The positives about Joseph are that he has demonstrated a fierce competitiveness, and that will play well with the nasty front seven the Raiders have built, led by Khalil Mack.
Although somewhat undersized, the 2014 All-Big 12 pick plays solid man coverage.
The NFL.com scouting report on him points to his “immense football character.” Under the new regime of Mark Davis, Reggie McKenzie and Jack Del Rio the team has invested in high character players and steered away from red flags.
DAY TWO NEEDS:
Questions about the health of defensive end Mario Edwards Jr have not been fully answered. So, taking an end for insurance or depth may be in the cards. However, the biggest need remains running back. Roy Helu Jr. was nearly non-existent last season behind Latavius Murray and Taiwan Jones dealt with injuries.
Murray’s yards-per-carry average slumped in the second half of the season, though the offensive line was shuffled due to injuries as well. An heir apparent to left tackle Donald Penn, depth at linebacker and wide receiver are also in order for this draft at some point.
DAY 2 PREDICTION: Running Back, Defensive Lineman
Heisman Trophy winning running back Derrick Henry will be on the board for Day Two. The 6’3”, 247-pound Alabama back rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season and won a national championship.
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The Raiders have also been loosely linked to Utah’s Devontae Booker. Although Booker’s senior season ended early due to injury, he demonstrated all the tools to be an NFL running back, averaging 133 yards per came in the Ute’s final 10 games of 2014, according to CBSSports .com.
The 2016 class has tremendous depth along the defensive line and three names not yet called are Clemson’s Kevin Dodd, Alabama’s Robinson A’Shawn and Mississippi State’s Chris Jones, among others.