Raiders camp: 3 things to be excited about, 3 things to be worried about
By Brad Weiss
Raiders camp: 3 things to be excited about, 3 things to be worried about
The Exciting, #2: The revamped Defense
Watching the Raiders defense last season was painful at times, and Mayock and company went out and got better on that side of the ball on all three levels. They made major upgrades to the linebacker position, bringing in two guys who can cover in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, while also drafting the aforementioned Muse.
Up front, Maliek Collins joins a solid cast of young defensive tackles, including Maurice Hurst, who has looked like a monster this summer. On the edges, Arden Key finally looks to be living up to his potential, and Carl Nassib is a nice free agent addition to go along with second-year defensive ends, Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby.
In the secondary, the Raiders welcome back Johnathan Abram to lead a defensive backfield that could make a big jump forward this season. Mullen looked all the bit the part of a CB1 in his rookie year, and with veterans like Prince Amukamara, Jeff Heath, and Damarious Randall joining the fold, there is more talent back there than there has been in a long time.
If this defense gels early on, it could surprise some people.