Why safety is still a top priority for the Raiders heading into the draft
By Nick Ellis
Although the Raiders brought back Karl Joseph to pair him with former first-round pick Johnathan Abram, the team still needs to make safety a top priority.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of weak spots on their team, whether it be getting after the quarterback, cornerbacks, or a coverage linebacker. With that being said, one hole that has not been addressed nearly enough this off-season is safety.
The Raiders gave up plenty of big plays because of blown coverage downfield or missed tackles, in big part being the fault of the safeties.
One big issue last season at the position was Erik Harris, who has left and signed with the Atlanta Falcons, a departure that leaves the organization with a lack of depth at the position. Las Vegas has passed up on top free agents at the position, and have only added Karl Joseph back into the fold, a former first-round pick by the Raiders who played with the Cleveland Browns last season.
Although Joseph is an upgrade from the other safeties on the team, he and Johnathan Abram in the backfield could be disastrous for the Raiders. Although Joseph made a big step up in his coverage in 2019, both players are known to be big hitters who both have missed a lot of tackles in their careers, and the Raiders cannot afford to go into next season relying on just the two of them.
Raiders need to add more at the safety position
Having two safeties together who are known for being big hitters will not fix the coverage issues in Las Vegas, and the only other notable safety on the roster is Jeff Heath. Although the Raiders have upgraded their pass rush, it will still not be good enough to prevent opposing teams from letting plays develop, so the Raiders are going to need safety to be a strength in 2021, not a weakness.
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Although the addition of Karl Joseph could eliminate any potential of selecting a safety in the first round, I believe they should heavily consider adding one with their second-round pick, as both Joseph and Abram have been very inconsistent in their careers. There is a lot of good Day 2 talent at the position group this year, and adding a true free safety to the mix, like Richie Grant from UCF, could really go a long way in improving this defense under Gus Bradley.