Raiders NFL Draft: A Safety Option For Every Round

If the Oakland Raiders want to draft a safety of the future to pair with Karl Joseph, here is a potential option in every round.

The 2017 NFL Draft kicks off on April 27 at 5:00pm PST, and will end sometime in the early evening on Saturday. The Oakland Raiders will go on the clock 24th overall, barring any trades, and have a total of eight picks to work with during the weekend.

The team might hang onto Reggie Nelson as the starting safety alongside Karl Joseph, but the clock is ticking on his career. If the Raiders drafts a safety, here is one name to consider for every round.

For argument’s sake, we’ll use the rankings from CBS Sports. Let’s get started.

Obi Melifonwu – UConn

Obi Melifonwu was the NFL Combine superstar of 2017, and one of the best athletes that has ever graced Indianapolis. He’s also quite the football player, but let’s focus on the athletic side first.

Obi checked in at 6’4″ 224 pounds, and put on a show in Indy. His numbers were a 4.4 second 40-yard dash, 44″ vertical and a 141″ broad jump. Since 1999, the 40-yard dash ranked in the 95th percentile among all safeties at the Combine, and the vertical and broad jumps were in the 99th percentile. Freak.

On the field, of course, Melifonwu’s range stands out. With his size/length, speed and jumping ability, there is no such a thing as a ball Obi can’t get to. As a former cornerback, his footwork is solid, and he even held his own there during Senior Bowl practice.

There are mixed opinions on his tackling ability, but because of his size, people expert him to be Kam Chancellor and to deliver bone crushing hits every play. While that’s not his game, he is a quality tackler with sound fundamentals.

Obi can play either safety spot, so his fit with Karl Joseph would be a breeze. He can go single high if need be, or he could come play in the box. So adding him to the mix would help the defense regardless of how he is used.