Las Vegas Raiders 2019 rookie grades: Josh Jacobs stars, Maxx Crosby breaks out
Josh Jacobs, RB (Round 1, Pick 24)
There are plenty of draft truthers that will say that taking a running back in the first round is a bad idea. I largely fall into that camp but, having said that, if you’re going to do so, waiting until the mid-20s and finding a player like Josh Jacobs that can come in right away and be the focal point of the offense is the way to go about it.
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Jacobs, who was robbed of winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, was phenomenal as the workhorse for the Raiders offense in his first professional season. The Alabama product carried the ball 242 times for 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns while also catching 20 passes for 166 yards. He was as good as advertised for this offense.
While his season was shortened to 13 games due to a shoulder injury, he did enough when on the field to clearly be the star of the Raiders 2019 draft class. Jacobs figures to be a star in this offense for years to come in Las Vegas.
Grade: A+
Johnathan Abram, S (Round 1, Pick 27)
What we saw in the preseason, on HBO’s Hard Knocks and in the few reps that he got in Week 1 of safety Johnathan Abram was highly promising. The Mississippi State product seemed to fit the bill as a tone-setter on the back of the defense, playing with fearless aggression that can make him a leader on that side of the ball for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately for Abram and the Raiders, he suffered what was ultimately a season-ending injury in the Week 1 contest against the Broncos, so we didn’t get to see much from him. Subsequently, there’s not enough there for us to adequately be able to assess him a grade. If he can come back healthy in 2020, however, the signs are pointing in the right direction for him being a valuable piece on the Raiders defense.
Grade: Incomplete