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Oakland Raiders: Grading Out The Team’s 2016 Draft Class

By Kevin Saito

Feb 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders helmet and NFL Wilson Duke football at Santa Monica State Beach. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow owner Rams Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles for the 2016 season with an option also award to Raiders owner Mark Davis (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders helmet and NFL Wilson Duke football at Santa Monica State Beach. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow owner Rams Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles for the 2016 season with an option also award to Raiders owner Mark Davis (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oakland Raiders
Jul 20, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Omni Dallas. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

The Raiders had a glaring need at safety last season. And that was before Charles Woodson retired. Last season, the Raiders were so thin in the defensive backfield that when Nate Allen went down with an injury, Travis Carrie had to slide over to cover for him.And while Carrie did a good job overall given the fact that it’s not his natural position, he wasn’t ready to take over the spot full time.

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Allen, after an injury-plagued 2015, is back – on a one year deal – and McKenzie signed the best free agent safety on the market in Reggie Nelson, helping to fortify the defensive backfield. But knowing that he needed to plan for the future – and depending on how camp plays out, perhaps planning for the now – McKenzie took arguably, the best safety in the draft.

Karl Joseph is the hard hitting, physical, and intimidating presence the Raiders have been lacking at safety for quite a long time. Think George Atkinson. Think Jack Tatum. Now think about receivers who have to run routes knowing that kind of beast is out there waiting for them. Knowing Joseph is out there and knowing the sort of devastating hits he can lay on them is an edge for Oakland’s secondary.

But Joseph is a lot more than big hits. He’s a ballhawk. Before an injury ended his senior season at West Virginia, he led the nation with five interceptions in the four games he played. Now, factor in Nelson’s ballhawking skills, and Oakland’s safety group is suddenly looking very strong and very intimidating.

Oakland needed a safety, they got the best one in the draft, and their defensive backfield is suddenly looking really good.

Grade: A

Next: Big Potential, High Upside

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