Defensive Raiders who should have been better in 2020: Johnathan Abram
Finally, we turn our attention to the only holdover from the 2019 season to make this list, and that is second-year safety, Johnathan Abram. Abram burst onto the scene during the Raiders’ run on HBO Hard Knocks and looked like a player who could match his loud personality on the field before an injury in Week 1 ended his season.
The 2020 campaign was really like a rookie season for Abram, who looked like a rookie on way too many occasions. For a franchise who really did not know what they would get at cornerback outside of Trayvon Mullen, the lack of production from Abram was too much to overcome, as he was repeated out of position.
Playing safety, his mistakes are magnified more than someone who plays on the line, or even at linebacker, as he is considered the last line of defense. Hopefully, last season was just a blip on the radar of what ends up being a very successful NFL career.
Abram is a former first-round pick and will be expected to come back in 2021 and flourish in a system that needs quality safety play under Bradley. Changes are coming on this roster, especially on defense, but you can expect Littleton and Abram to have a chance to redeem themselves next season.