Las Vegas Raiders 2022 3-round Mock Draft: Addressing the defense
3-Round Las Vegas Raiders Mock Draft: Defense gets addressed
Alabama. 2nd. Pick Analysis. DB. JordanBattle. player. 28. Scouting Report
Raider Nation detests the notion of taking players from Alabama given some recent history, but let’s face it, we can’t let past mistakes dictate the future. Besides, Josh Jacobs’ plan has worked out well. Anyway, keeping with the theme of addressing the defense, Ziegler goes to work on his secondary and drafts Jordan Battle.
The safety position for the Raiders is at a crossroads. Johnathan Abram is gone, Tre’von Moehrig has struggled in Graham’s scheme, and Duron Harmon has been the team’s best safety.
Needless to say, some long-term help is needed. With Battle, the Raiders are getting a versatile defensive back capable of lining up at either safety position. Much like Abram, Battle is also a violent hitter, but unlike the first-round bust, he’s not a liability in coverage. PFF notes an 83.1 coverage grade, and even more interesting is his snap breakdown.
Battle has lined up all over the place for the Alabama defense this season: 162 snaps in the box, 497 at free safety, and 97 in the slot as well.
As far as stopping the run, Battle has solid awareness and reacts quickly to the ball, chasing down runners with superb downhill speed. Though he can be overly aggressive at times and his tackling does need refinement, Battle has tons of upside. He’ll be a nightmare over the middle thanks to his hitting, but he’ll also hold his own in man-to-man coverage if need be.