Oakland Raiders: Midseason grades for the 2018 rookie class
By Brad Weiss
![OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 24: Arden Key #99 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after he sacked the quarterback against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 24: Arden Key #99 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after he sacked the quarterback against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fjustblogbaby-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2018-2F08-2F1022901474-850x560-9b177434c5a9dff8c1b843362335505384d8448b60d8534ed36ad7b78c9c8c29.jpg)
Nick Nelson
The Raiders made Nick Nelson their fourth round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, adding talent to a position group that has really struggled in recent years. While the Raiders would have like to have Nelson get on the field earlier, he only began playing two weeks ago, and has shown himself to be a work in progress so far.
Nelson is a guy who will be relied on to play a key role in this secondary the rest of the way, as the organization figures out who will be with the team moving forward. In Nelson, they have a guy who was an elite cover corner during his time at Wisconsin, and the more experience he gets, the better.
The Raiders secondary has been roasted all season long, but getting Nelson more reps has to be a priority for Paul Guenther and company the rest of the way. He is going to be a solid player for the Raiders at the cornerback spot, and now that the injury is in the rearview mirror, we can start to see what kind of player he can be at the NFL level.