Oakland Raiders: 6 Players The Team Needs To Show Up Big In 2017
By Kevin Saito
Being a first-round pick comes loaded with high expectations. Especially, when you’re a first-round pick who comes wrapped in as much controversy as Conley does – controversy many believed would force his stock to slip further down the board.
But given the Raiders’ need for better play in the secondary, McKenzie felt that Conley was the right choice. He certainly has the size, speed, and athleticism to be an effective corner at the next level. Now, the Raiders must sit back and hope that he can put all of the pieces together to do just that.
Assuming his legal issues are resolved and Conley is on the field this season for the Raiders, he is going to have a lot of weight on his young shoulders. Given the troubles the Raiders had defending the pass last season, they need solid, capable corners to hold down opposing receivers.
The combination of D.J. Hayden and T.J. Carrie did a barely above average job of holding down the slot last season. Combined with the struggles of Amerson and Smith, and you can see why the Raiders had the league’s twenty-fourth ranked passing defense.
Given his skills, it’s likely that HC Jack Del Rio and DC Ken Norton are envisioning Conley stepping into the slot role from the get go. Which wouldn’t be a bad place to learn to refine his game at the NFL level. And if the wheels fall off and either Amerson or Smith don’t bounce back this season, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see them thinking of Conley playing on the outside.
Which is a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of a rookie.
The Raiders need better play in the secondary and given his hype and fanfare, Conley needs to step up and prove he can help elevate the unit – and not be the second coming of Hayden.