The Las Vegas Raiders have had a porous defense for what seems like an eternity. Due to this, Jon Gruden’s team has had to invest a lot of draft capital on defensive backs. The question is, has it been in vain up to this point?
Over the course of these past few years, the Raiders have picked up several defensive backs through the NFL draft. This year’s player selection meeting was no different, they drafted Trevon Moehrig, Tyree Gillespie, Divine Deablo, and Nate Hobbs. They’ve also drafted Johnathan Abram, Damon Arnette, Trayvon Mullen, and Isaiah Johnson. Despite a steady flow of young talent, the defense has been devoid of progress. A lot of this falls on former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and his ineptitude in developing his unit. Considering that Gus Bradley has taken over the defense, his track record suggests these defensive backs will be in good hands.
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NBC Sports has questions for the Raiders…
Warren Sharp of NBC Sports recognized recently that Las Vegas did indeed need help in the secondary. However, he noted that the process in which the team evaluates and drafts prospects is broken. He shed light on the fact that most of the draft picks that were used to address the secondary have floundered, most notably Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu. The unit has been so putrid it hasn’t been ranked higher than 26 since 2017 despite a steady flow of defenders.
Essentially, Sharp believes that the evaluation process needs to be addressed and changed. While the analyst raises good questions, it’s highly unlikely the way the Raiders operate will change anytime soon. For now, fans are hoping that Bradley is the key to turning around an otherwise unimpressive secondary.
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*Top Photo: Associated Press/Isaac Brekken