Ranking the Las Vegas Raiders first round picks since 2010

Ranking the Las Vegas Raiders first-round picks since 2010

7. Johnathan Abram: 2019 – 27th overall, Mississippi State

Johnathan Abram is a bit of an enigma as even though he was drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, the 2020 season was essentially his rookie season. He continued the trend of Raider rookie defensive backs going on IR their first season as he was knocked out of his first season after Week 1.

Abram came into the 2020 season as one of the Raiders’ leaders on defense but as the year wore on and the mistakes piled up, the concerns around him being a smart enough player to be a top safety have emerged. He is a physical safety who loves to lay the wood but that same aggressiveness has been used against him in coverage and has knocked him out of games.

Since 2020 was essentially his rookie season, many have chalked up his struggles to his inexperience and the hope is that he can channel that aggression and improve in the mental aspects of the game. Abram is at his best as a box safety and we hope to see him improve under a defensive coordinator under Gus Bradley who has gotten the best out of his safeties in the past.