Johnathan Abram
Between being selected in the first-round of the draft and becoming one of the stars of Hard Knocks, Johnathan Abram quickly became a fan-favorite. His big personality and tenacious playing style reminded Raider Nation of other franchise greats like George Atkinson and Jack Tatum. Unfortunately, the rookie’s first season was cut short.
Abram participated in the Monday Night season-opener against the Denver Broncos and didn’t disappoint. He finished the game with five total tackles, one pass breakup and showed off his tenacity on the plays seen below.
One of the downsides of the defensive back’s playstyle is he puts his body in harm’s way. As a result, he tore his rotator cuff during the season opener and missed the other 15 games of the season.
Especially with Karl Joseph set to test the free-agent market, the Raiders need Abram to get and stay healthy in 2020. Versatile safeties are a key component to defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s system, and the Mississippi State product’s ability to stop the run as a box defender and help on the back-end in pass coverage will play a big factor in the defense’s success. Luckily, Abram is on track to be ready for the start of the season and hopefully, he finds a way to maintain his ferocity without putting his body at risk.