The Las Vegas Raiders had some movement this offseason. Whether you agree with it or not is irrelevant. The defensive line got the most help. However, the team didn’t make any changes to the secondary. With the little movement during free agency, it seems like the plan is to hit the draft for the secondary.
An interesting safety option for the Raiders comes in the form of Hamsah Nasirildeen. The Florida State safety checks a lot of boxes for the modern safety. He’s a tall 6’4″ and 220 pounds. He is athletic and played wide receiver in high school. A US Army All-American, he caught 45 passes for 751 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. He checks many boxes and on film flashes many times. He is a very versatile player and does a good job at the angles he gets to make tackles. Many times, if you watch him on tape, he’s usually around the ball which is always a plus.
​His college career gave some answers to his skill. However, an ACL tear in 2019 limited him to just two games his senior year. This setback brought up more questions. Prior to his injury Nasirildeen put up some really good numbers in his true freshman season. He appeared in 11 games and registered 29 tackles and three passes defensed. In his sophomore campaigned, he logged five starts and led the team with 91 total tackles two pass breakups, and one interception. In his junior year, Nasirildeen totaled 101 total tackles, three pass deflections, one sack, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
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It makes sense for the Raiders to target Nasirildeen on Day 2 of the draft
​The secondary of the Raiders needs help and Nasirildeen could provide that. He should be available in the second round but if they can take him in the third, it could be a low-key good addition. In his Pro Day, Nasirildeen couldn’t do all the drills due to a hamstring injury and he may have been limited in the ones he partook in.
One thing in Nasirildeen. He stands at 6’4″, and has an arm length of 31 1/2 inches, which is very attractive for the secondary. We won’t know his 40-yard dash time yet and his three-cone drill did have a time of 7.05, but again, it’s uncertain how much the hamstring injury affected it.
All in all, the Raiders could be looking at Nasirildeen because of the potential the questions due to his injury definitely linger. As long as it’s not a reach early in the draft and if he’s available in the late second round or the third, it could be worth it. The secondary needs help and if they don’t do something with the remaining players in free agency the draft will be busy for this Las Vegas team.
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Top Photo: Imagn Images photo pool/Vikings Wire
