Damarious Randall brings versatility, speed to Las Vegas Raiders

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 14: Free safety Damarious Randall #23 of the Cleveland Browns during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Steelers 21-7. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 14: Free safety Damarious Randall #23 of the Cleveland Browns during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Steelers 21-7. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Damarious Randall Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Damarious Randall Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Man coverage

I was surprised to see that with his CB background, Randall isn’t very good in man coverage. His technique lapses come back to bite him in this coverage and there are more examples of giving up plays than making them while playing man-to-man. He wants to key the QB which is a cardinal sin of man coverage. He’s better playing zones, but he has the speed and burst to be able to handle man coverage. If asked to play nickel, he will need to improve in this area.

Blitzing

When schemed free, Randall shows his burst can also help him rushing the passer. Blessed with excellent quickness and change of direction ability, Randall was given more pass rush snaps in 2019 than any other time in his career. He made good on those opportunities turning out a respectable pressure percentage of over 15% of his rushes. Its not something he needs to hang his hat on, but it provides Guenther more options for his deployment on Sundays.

Tackling

Randall’s tackling won’t wow anyone. He has been described by some as a “poor” tackler, and “just solid” by others. The truth is likely somewhere in between and no one will confuse him for being great in this area. That being said he can be a solid back line defender who has the speed to track down the majority of ball carriers in the open field.

Schedule