Oakland Raiders: Injuries derailed attempt to fix pass defense deficiencies

Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie attempted to strengthen the secondary in the offseason but unforeseen injuries set the unit back in 2017.

After the Oakland Raiders placed rookie second-rounder Obi Melifonwu on injured reserve, many threw up their hands and rolled their eyes stating that general manager Reggie McKenzie flopped with another draft class. The Raiders executive made some head-scratching choices but showed a concerted effort to improve the secondary in 2017. Unfortunately, his top two picks, cornerback Gareon Conley and Melifonwu, missed most of the offseason program and played a combined 126 snaps as rookies.

McKenzie doubters have erroneously compared Conley and Melifonwu to D.J. Hayden whose rookie season also ended on injured reserve. It’s apples to oranges. Hayden suffered a life-threatening injury before the draft. Conley and Melifonwu didn’t have an injury history at the collegiate level. In fact, analysts viewed the second-rounder as an athletic standout based on his NFL Scouting Combine results.

We can’t connect the Raiders’ top 2013 pick to their selections in 2017 without further context disproving the claim. There’s clearly misdirected anger in this scenario during a disappointing season. However, the inability to predict injuries for healthy prospects isn’t McKenzie’s fault.

The Raiders pass defense ranked 24th in yards allowed and surrendered 27 touchdowns in 2016. McKenzie selected a top-notch collegiate cornerback and an athletic safety to correct the issues on the back end. What more could he have done to address the problem? He absolutely tried to tighten up the secondary.

Unfortunately, Conley’s battle with a shin injury never subsided enough to keep him on the field for more than two games. Melifonwu underwent two surgeries, on his knee and hip, within four months.

It’s a tough break but also out of McKenzie’s control.

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Coaching Gaffes

Before we blame the Raiders executive for another weak secondary, it’s fair to call out the coaching staff for not replacing free safety Reggie Nelson with Shalom Luani, who’s been healthy all year.

McKenzie has hit on late-round draft picks, but the coaching staff never gave Luani a chance to become the next diamond in the ruff. After a solid preseason showing, the Washington State product played just 120 defensive snaps.

As a respected veteran in the locker room, it would take a lot to bench Nelson, but he’s clearly been ineffective in coverage. Why not turn to a healthy draft pick who’s earned a reputation for playing instinctively in the secondary? At the very least, there’s incentive to develop Luani with Nelson’s contract expiring at the end of the year.

Now, with Melifonwu coming off two surgeries, it’s fair to question whether he returns as the same player. The off-field obstacles can negatively impact a player’s career trajectory, and the Raiders need a plan B. Unfortunately, the coaching staff failed to develop a potential playmaker with instincts and instead went through the season with a veteran safety on his way out.

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Hindsight is always perfect, but the Raiders missed on an opportunity to give Luani valuable experience with another rookie safety starting his season on injured reserve on the slow path to development.

Of course, McKenzie deserves blame for some draft misses and a blind eye to the linebacker position, but we can attribute the secondary issues to unfortunate injuries for otherwise healthy players, and the coaching staff’s inability to put Luani in more situations to prove himself.