Oakland Raiders depth chart projections: Defense/ST

Dec 7, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) celebrates behind San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) after a Raiders sack against the 49ers during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier in the week, I broke down the Raiders offensive personnel by position group and gave you my projections for the Raiders depth chart on offense. Now we turn our attention to the defense and special teams.

The Raider defense disappointed throughout much of the 2014 campaign as the team went 3-13. The Raiders got gashed in the run game by multiple opponents, and a weak secondary missing a its’ top two strong safeties got gashed by opposing passing games as well. The Raiders did locate some outstanding young talent on defense, but the deck needed to be reshuffled coming into training camp.

The Raiders special teams has been an up and down unit for years. While the Raiders do have one of the game’s most famous kickers and a very talented young punter, the kicking game was inconsistent in 2014 and the return game was almost nonexistent. Reggie McKenzie has moved to address some of this as well.

Following are my projections for the 2015 Raiders depth chart on defense and special teams going into training camp:

Next: Depth Chart Projections: Special Teams