One of the brighter stars during the team’s Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was safety Erik Harris, who has come out of nowhere to be a key member of Oakland’s secondary. Harris, a former CFL player, was one of the highest-rated players in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus last week, and has the ability to be a very good player for this organization moving forward.
During the 2016 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, and he is finally starting to play like a first round pick. He has played every snap the last two weeks, and played very well, so you have to think the Raiders will continue to run him out there over the next couple of seasons.
Despite Harris’ growth, and Joseph breaking out, the team needs more depth at the safety position. One player who could be available in round three is Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from Florida, who is rated as the No. 4 safety in this draft class, and has already declared for the NFL Draft. He has had a terrific season for the 9-3 Gators, racking up three sacks, two interceptions, and ten tackles for a loss from his safety spot.