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Oakland Raiders NFL Draft: Four Thoughts Heading Into Day 2

By Nick Hjeltness

Sep 5, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph celebrates with fans after beating Georgia Southern 44-0. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph celebrates with fans after beating Georgia Southern 44-0. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Karl Joseph was not a reach

Sep 5, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph stands in the secondary during the fourth quarter against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph stands in the secondary during the fourth quarter against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

On the clock with the 14th overall selection, there were plenty of options for Reggie McKenzie and company — most notably, Myles Jack.

When Karl Joseph was announced as the selection, the initial reaction was mostly excitement, but there also was plenty of surprise. Excitement because many are fans of Joseph — thanks to his hard-hitting style — but also surprise, because he was largely considered an option with their second round pick — 44th overall.

So the immediate question being asked was whether or not McKenzie could have traded down and still landed Joseph. Two problems with that — what team would have traded up, and for what player?

Problem number two is if the team did trade down, it’s likely Joseph would have been gone. The Atlanta Falcons selected Keanu Neal 17th overall, who shares plenty of similarities with Joseph, so that pick could have been Joseph if he was available. And then you have the Houston Texans, who badly wanted Karl Joseph.

So yes, Karl Joseph was more so talked about as a possible option in the second round, but as we got closer to the draft, it seemed more and more likely that Joseph was going to be taken in the first round. Which was confirmed to be true.

Joseph also confirmed as much in a post-draft interview, saying that he had interest from Atlanta, Tennessee, Indianapolis, Houston, and Buffalo.

And it’s easy to see why Joseph ended up in the first-round. He’s a very well-rounded player, with his lack of size and the knee injury being his biggest knocks.

In the team’s post-draft press conference, McKenzie and Del Rio talked about Joseph’s medical situation and what he brings to the table.

"“The medical is checking out fine,” McKenzie said. “He’s going to be ready to roll. Our doctors gave us the thumbs up.”"

Del Rio:

"“He’s very versatile. He can play at all levels of your defense,” Del Rio said. “He can come off the edge as a blitzer. He can play down in the box, he can play center field. He does a great job taking angles and he’s very effective and efficient as a hitter and tackler.”"

A few weeks ago, I put together a scouting report on Joseph, which you can check out here.

Next: Thought #2: Myles Jack

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