Johnathan Abram Showed Toughness to be a Las Vegas Raider
As good as the Raiders’ rookie class was last season, it would have been even better had strong safety, Johnathan Abram, been able to play more than one game.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Abram made five tackles and deflected a pass in his NFL debut in the 2019 opener, a 24-19 victory over the Denver Broncos, even though he sustained a torn left rotator cuff and labrum in the first half.
Abram showed Raiders' toughness by playing through the injury for the rest of the game, but he was placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of his rookie season.
From his hospital bed, he posted on Twitter: “Some things don’t go as planned & all you can do is make the most of them. Had big goals for myself & my team. I know my teammates will hold it down & all I can do is make new goals for next year and set out to accomplish them. Surgery went really well and I’m forever thankful for all the love & support each and every one of you sent! Best believe I’m coming back harder than ever.”
General Manager Mike Mayock and Coach Jon Gruden expected Abram to be a fixture on the backline for years after the Raiders selected with the 27th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State.
After a bit of a false start, their thinking has not changed.
“He’s 100 percent right now, he’s ready to go,” Mayock told NFL Network at the NFL Scouting Combine a few months ago. “If he stays healthy this year we’re going to have a difference-maker on the back end.”
The 23-year-old Abram, who played at Georgia as a freshman before transferring to Mississippi State, made 170 tackles (90 solo), 14 tackles for losses, five sacks and two interceptions in addition to forcing three fumbles in his last two seasons after sitting out a year.
Abram was selected first-team All-Southeastern Conference and third-team All-American as a senior.
The Raiders were paying attention and expect the same from him as a pro, but he also has high expectations for himself and has worked hard since the injury to get back to where he was.
“What I went through last year has only made me more eager to get back to work,” Abram said on a Raiders Talk Podcast. “Everybody got a taste of what I could do, but it was nothing near what I’m capable of.
“A great safety is important in every system. It’s vital. Coach Gruden tells me all the time that he needs me to be a leader, to get people to rally around me, and bring the energy. Sometimes people are flat. I’m always pumped up and ready to go. I bring energy all the time, and I think people respect that.”
And Abram simply can’t wait to make up for the lost time.
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