5 Oakland Raiders primed for bounce-back years in 2018

No, the Raiders did not get great production out of their 2017 rookie class. Injuries ravaged the bunch and none more notable than former No. 24 overall pick in cornerback Gareon Conley out of Ohio State. Shin splints limited him to two games in his miserable rookie campaign.

However, his talent coming out of Columbus was obvious and he could be a big boost to the Raiders secondary right away if Conley is finally healthy. Guenther said when he took over for John Pagano as the Raiders’ new defensive coordinator that Conley was his favorite cornerback in the 2017 NFL Draft. However, the Bengals had taken William Jackson III out of Houston in the first-round the year prior.

Given the proximity from Cincinnati to Columbus, you can take the former Bengals defensive coordinator’s word for it: Conley can play. And the Raiders will need him to, as the secondary was all sorts of awful in 2017. Though safety Karl Joseph showed signs of promise in year two, Conley is poised to shine in 2018 by simply being on the field. That would be a huge plus over whatever the Raiders had to throw out in the secondary last year.

Guenther will put Conley in positions to succeed to get his confidence up. Expect the Raiders to acutely monitor his health, as he makes his way back to the field. Much of the Raiders’ turnaround defensively hinges on these young secondary players that general manager Reggie McKenzie has drafted. It’s time for Conley to prove he was worth the first-round selection.