Power ranking the Oakland Raiders biggest 2019 NFL Draft needs
By Justin Fried
3. Secondary
Despite the offseason acquisition of safety/nickel corner hybrid Lamarcus Joyner, the Raiders secondary still needs a ton of work. So much so that I decided to group the entire secondary together since it all needs work.
Let’s start with what they have going right for them.
2017 first-round draft pick Gareon Conley will return and he’s fresh off a breakout 2018 campaign that saw him emerge as one of the top young corners in the league. The addition of Joyner should give defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s defense a versatile defender who will likely play mostly in the slot.
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But outside of that, the secondary is a bit of a mess.
Karl Joseph returns and will likely fill the strong safety spot playing down near the line of scrimmage, but he remains a major liability in coverage. The team returns safety Erik Harris and signed veteran Curtis Riley away from the New York Giants but both are best served as backup/special teams players.
At cornerback, the Raiders don’t have a great option opposite Conley. Nevin Lawson has joined the team as a free agent signing from the Detroit Lions, but he primarily played out of the slot during his time in the Motor City. And it’s not as if Daryl Worley did a fantastic job holding down the fort last season solidifying a 55.6 Pro Football Focus grade which ranked him as the No. 106 cornerback in the league.
With evident holes to fill at both cornerback and safety, it’s clear that this is one of the top positions of need for the Raiders to address this week.