In 2019, the Las Vegas Raiders had three first-round picks. The latter of those three, they used to select Johnathan Abram. Since then, Abram has joined the long list of polarizing players to wear the Silver and Black. Many fans have their own opinions on him, and most of those opinions are valid as Abram’s game is filled with pros and cons. Let’s take a look at his strengths and weaknesses and understand just how valuable Abram is to this defense moving forward.
Abram finished the 2021 season with 79 solo tackles, eighth among strong safeties league-wide. That shows that he’s pretty good at making tackles. However, Abram also gave up the most receptions of any strong safety at 54, signifying the fact that his pass coverage could be much better.
Overall, Abram didn’t have an especially strong season. Pro Football Focus gave him a total grade of 56.9, leaving him in the lower-third ranking of his position league-wide. Abram had 103 total tackles, which was impressive. However, he also gave up a 105.2 passer rating when he was targeted, which is unimpressive.
Johnathan Abram’s Ball-Pursuit and Tackling
Something Abram is notable for is rushing the passer and ball pursuit. He excels, especially when blitzes are designed for him, like in the clip below.
Looked like the refs missed a false start on the LT. It actually benefits the #Raiders as it widened the B gap for Jonathan Abram’s blitz. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/7oFi285Gp9
— Chris Reed (@ChrisReed_NFL) October 10, 2021
This is highly impressive, and it shows just how much of a monster Abrams is when rushing the passer. On this play, he reads the offensive line perfectly and bursts straight through it without hesitation. Because of that read, he’s able to get to Justin Fields ridiculously fast, and he disrupts the entire play.
Now, for ball-pursuit:
Future Pro Bowl WLB – Jonathan Abram pic.twitter.com/RJ8VzO3JxK
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 15, 2021
Here’s another remarkable play from Abram. He gets to the ball quickly on this play, and it might be one of his most impressive moments from all of last year. Abram is a ball-hawk, a traditional strong safety. He has tremendous instincts, and he’s at his best in moments like this, when he’s able to just focus on making the tackle.
The author of this Tweet makes an interesting point as well, floating the idea of Abram moving to weak-side linebacker. This would actually make a bit of sense, considering Abram’s ability to make plays like this, yet also his inability to cover the pass at the safety position. At WLB, he would have many more opportunities to chase running backs across the field.
Abram’s weaknesses in coverage
About those coverage skills…
It’s something Abram will need to work on. As I mentioned earlier, he gave up the most receptions of any strong safety, and that just can’t happen if he’s going to be Las Vegas’s long-term answer here.
Jonathan Abram leaves Travis Kelce wide open for the go ahead TD. pic.twitter.com/sWU6ci4b60
— Tyler Bischoff (@Bischoff_Tyler) November 23, 2020
A large part of Abram’s struggles in this department is in his head. He has tremendous instincts for the game in general, but there are far too many times, like in the clip above, where he just finds himself out of position. He’s an aggressive player, which is a good thing, but it hurts the team in situations like this.
On this play, Abram is tasked with defending the deep-middle zone in a cover three. He does that, but as soon as Patrick Mahomes starts to scramble, you can watch Abram immediately leave his assignment. As soon as he does, Travis Kelce drifts right into that open space, and Kansas City is gifted a game-winning touchdown.
While part of it is mental, Abram’s cover skills aren’t great either.
Jonathan Abram… YOU GOT MOSSED!!!!! TOUCHDOWN #CHIEFSKINGDOM pic.twitter.com/xdZRL9FI40
— Mr. Brooks (@BrianBShynin) November 15, 2021
A safety shouldn’t ever get “mossed” by a running back, but that’s what happens here. When Mahomes releases the ball, Abram is actually in a great position. He’s in front of the receiver, and he was actually playing good defense here up until the ball got to him. The reason this ends up in a touchdown is simply a lack of coverage skill from Johnathan. He is in a great position, but fails to recognize where the receiver is, allowing him to get a better position on Abram. When the ball gets there, Abram should be jumping straight up to high-point it, but instead he panics and flails backwards, allowing the catch.
How valuable is Abram?
These strengths and weaknesses of Abram summarize his value to the Raiders as a whole. He is a talented player, and he absolutely does make the team better. His tackling, instincts, and ball pursuit in run-defense are very good. One of his strengths that can’t be measured through stats is his energy as well. He brings a ton of energy to every game, and no matter what, he is always giving 100% effort. That’s more than can be said about many players, and Johnathan deserves respect for that.
With that said, a player with poor coverage skills will never reach his full potential at the safety position. It is just too much of a liability for what is labeled as the last line of defense on the field. As much as Abram helps the team, some of that is in vain with the mistakes he makes in coverage.
As of now, Abram is a good player and does help this team. Is he best used at safety, or could the Raiders use him at linebacker more? There is certainly a case to be made. What we do know is that Abram is a talented player who does help Las Vegas, but he’s got some work that needs to be done.
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*Top Photo: Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire/Getty
