Oakland Raiders: 5 Biggest questions entering 2017 training camp

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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 31: Gareon Conley #8 of the Ohio State Buckeyes intercepts a pass intended for Mike Williams #7 of the Clemson Tigers during the first half of the 2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 31, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Will the secondary be better this year?

You guys can hold me to this one — hell yes! The Raiders have drafted two pieces that complete their cabinet of defensive backs. They are now capable of matching up with any receiving corps and can employ a man-to-man style of defense that they didn’t have the athletes to employ.

Obi Melifonwu is hopefully a godsend to this football team. Tight ends have extended drives on third down all the way into the end zone against this football team time and time again. But with a 6-4, 220-pound safety that posted a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and that can jump up to highpoint the football with his 44-inch vertical leap, no longer should any NFL tight end enjoy the physical mismatches they have enjoyed over the Raiders. That is, as long as Melifonwu is up to the task.

Gareon Conley still has the legal entanglement in Ohio hanging over his head, but on the field, he has been a sight for sore eyes. Physically the most gifted corner on the roster, Conley is a true No. 1 corner capable of sliding down into the slot.

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As such, the rookie allows the Raiders to be more strategically conservative in their deployment of Amerson and Smith. Conley has the speed and footwork to stay with any receiver no matter how fast or shifty. A pesky ballhawk at Ohio State, Conley would often take the opposing team’s best wide receiver out for a lovely cruise to remote Conley Island.

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