Gareon Conley was a bright spot for the Raiders on Thursday

The Oakland Raiders looked terrible on defense against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, but Gareon Conley improved his stock.

When the Oakland Raiders made Gareon Conley their first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the expectation was he would become the shutdown cornerback they have been missing for years. However, Conley had an injury-marred first season in the NFL, and during year two, it looked like coaching staff had given up on him.

Over the last couple of weeks, this roster has really been shook up, as defensive coordinator tries to find pieces that fit together. After the trade deadline passed, he said we would see more of Conley, and we certainly did, especially on Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers and Raiders went into that game with only one win a piece, and San Francisco was starting a guy who never played in an NFL regular season game before. While Nick Mullens picked the Raiders defense apart, he did not pick Conley apart, and in fact, he barely even looked his way.

Pro Football Focus tweeted this out on Tuesday.

For everything Conley has gone through this season, it was great to see him out there and getting the job done against a 49ers offense that was really clicking. It remains to be seen if he is truly in the plan for the future with the Raiders, but he has looked good at times this season, and should only get better as long as they keep him on the field.

Conley and his secondary teammates have a tough task ahead of them this weekend, as they  take on Philip Rivers and a Los Angeles Chargers offense that can really put points on the board. The hope is Conley can stay healthy, and continue to produce, because I just do not think they should give up on a kid with such talent this early in his career.