Raiders poised to bounce back in 2021: Johnathan Abram
Every member of Raider Nation was excited about then-rookie Johnathan Abram before the 2019 NFL season, this after seeing his star shine bright during the Raiders run on HBO Hard Knocks. We saw flashes of his talent in Week 1 that season, as he dominated against Denver before seeing his season end via injuries sustained in that game.
This past season, he was expected to come in and lead a young secondary with 2019 second-round cornerback Trayvon Mullen, but he struggled to play consistent football throughout. He played like a person without a head for most of the season, continuously finding himself out of place, and it led to a lot of the issues with this Raiders secondary in 2020.
It has already been reported that Las Vegas is going to expect their high draft picks in the secondary to step up in 2021, and that is a direct shot at both Abram, and Damon Arnette, two players selected in the first round of the last two drafts. If Abram can play with more control, and let his physical attributes take over, there is no reason he cannot become an elite strong safety at the NFL level.