Oakland Raiders: 5 Pressing questions for the 2018 season

Will Gareon Conley Play Up to First-Round Expectations?

Similar to the middle linebacker spot, the Raiders have struggled to find their lead cornerback over the past several seasons. D.J. Hayden, a 2013 first-rounder, eventually moved to the slot and showed improvement, but the team allowed him to walk during the 2017 offseason.

McKenzie decided to roll the dice on cornerback Gareon Conley, whose draft stock fell due to rape allegations. He’s suing the accuser and looking to put a tumultuous rookie year behind him.

The Ohio State product missed most of the 2017 offseason program and all but two games in the previous season due to a shin injury. He tweaked his groin during mandatory minicamp, but Gruden expects him to be ready for training camp.

In Conley’s case, any soft-tissue injury raises an eyebrow after fans thought his shin ailment fell into the “minor” category last year. Fortunately, this season, the Raiders have more talent at the position with Rashaan Melvin and Daryl Worley joining the team on one-year deals.

However, major expectations fall on Conley as a first-round pick—a high upside talent on a rookie deal for a team sitting on a massive payout for defensive end Khalil Mack. The Raiders absolutely need cheap, high-quality players to pan out in order to avoid chasing pricey assets on the free-agent market.

In 92 snaps, Conley flashed the ability to shadow pass-catchers last year. He nearly picked off a pass against the New York Jets in Week 2. Now, he must remain healthy to expand on his small sample. Oakland’s pass defense has ranked 26th, 24th and 26th in yards allowed over the past three campaigns. They need someone who can stop the bleeding on the back end.