Oakland Raiders: Predicting The Team’s Final 53-Man Roster

Safety (4)

Starters: Reggie Nelson, Karl Joseph

Reserves: Shalom Luani, Obi Melifonwu

To the chagrin of many, veteran Reggie Nelson is very likely going to hold on to his roster spot. Although he had five picks last season, Nelson was more of a liability than asset for the team. He was frequently out of position and taking bad angles to the ball.

As the last line of defense, Nelson often wasn’t there – which contributed in a big way to the worst pass defense in all of football.

But, he’s got a ton of experience. And he sometimes puts himself in a position to make a play. Which means that he’ll continue to be the elder statesman of this Raiders safeties group.

This is a group though, that’s going to be very, very young. Second-year man Karl Joseph, his injuries now fully behind him is already making plays and is playing at a high level. He’s hellacious against the run and is punishing the ballcarriers. He’s also making some solid plays in pass defense.

Obi Melifonwu, the athletic freak out of UConn, hasn’t seen much playing time this summer, but did make his debut against Dallas, recording five total tackles – two of them solo. He’s going to be counted on to play the hybrid safety/linebacker role and be the tight end hunter/killer the Raiders desperately need.

And seventh-round pick Shalom Luani, out of Washington State has had a tremendous camp and solid exhibition season. He’s showing that, like Joseph, he can be punishing in run support and has an instinctual knack for finding the ball in pass defense.

Luani has made some outstanding plays for the Raiders over the summer and is almost assured of a roster spot, filling out the safeties group.