3 things the Oakland Raiders defense must do to improve in 2019

The Raiders defense scuffled substantially last season, but they’ve done some quality work this offseason to revamp the unit. But, what are the main aspects they must improve on in order to be successful this season?

The Raiders brought aboard an abundance of free-agents to pair with the multitude of high-end draft picks that they had. Having four selections within the first 35 picks certainly sounds great and all, but now Jon Gruden and the Raiders staff must turn their focus into making sure those highly touted prospects turn into something special.

The Raiders drafted three defense players in their first four picks, selecting Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram, and Trayvon Mullen. These three intriguing prospects all have the ability to start week 1, and will likely have impactful roles in Paul Guenther’s defense.

Lamarcus Joyner, Vontaze Burfict, and Brandon Marshall all possess veteran leadership for the Raiders young defense. The Raiders have a good amount of players on defense that are entering their first or second season, which shows a lot of room for growth within the defense. The veteran’s on defense appear that they’ll be in a role to help influence and mold the youth for the future core heading into Las Vegas.

Here are three things their defense must do to be better in 2019.