Las Vegas Raiders: 4 safeties to target in the 2021 NFL Draft

Paris Ford could help this Raiders defense as a rookie

There are two safeties I would pick at No. 17 overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and Pittsburgh Panther Paris Ford is one of them.  Not only is Ford a hard hitter, but he has the coverage skills necessary to pair well next to Abram, who has a tendency to get out of position and miss tackles.

Ford excels in man coverage down the field, which is perfect for the Raiders so they can use Abram more like Seattle uses Jamal Adams, closer to the line of scrimmage. This also would give Abram a little less responsibility in coverage until he learns to play more under control.

In his career at Pittsburgh, Ford had six total interceptions and three forced fumbles, with all of those forced fumbles coming during the 2019 college football season. That season was Ford’s best, as he put up not only those forced fumbles but also three of his interceptions, to go along with 97 total tackles.

He was well on his way to a similar performance in a shortened 2020 season, collecting his other three interceptions, and 41 total tackles in only seven games.  Ford is a player who can come right in as a starter on this defense and play much better than what the Raiders got from the safety position a season ago.