Projecting the Raiders 53-man roster after minicamp

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OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after sacking the quarterback and recovering a fumble against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. The Raiders won the game 45-20. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Safety

Karl Joseph, Reggie Nelson, Marcus Gilchrist, Erik Harris

In addition to the cornerback position, the rest of the defensive backfield is going to be under a microscope this summer as well. As it stands, it looks like the tandem of Karl Joseph and Reggie Nelson will be the starters in 2018, but everything could change when the team comes back together for training camp.

This was a position group I really struggled with, and as you can see, 2017 second round pick Obi Melifonwu did not make the cut this time around. Over the course of the summer, Obi will need to get on the field, and stay there, showing he can not only stay healthy, but also be an impact player in year two.

One player who is making quite the name for himself with the current coaching staff is Erik Harris, who has gotten rave reviews from Jon Gruden. Gruden went so far as to call Harris “stunning” during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, and to be fair, Harris has looked pretty go so far.

I expect four safeties to make the 53-man roster this summer, and the fourth should be Marcus Gilchrist, who the team got as a free agent this offseason. Gilchrist is a very versatile player, and if need be, he could always help out at cornerback as well. There are a lot of bodies in this position group this summer, and it will be interesting to see which four make it to the Week 1 roster.

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