Raiders select S Karl Joseph with No. 14 pick in 2016 NFL draft
With the No. 14 pick in the 2016 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders select West Virginia safety Karl Joseph.
GRADE: C
GM Reggie McKenzie has helped put the Raiders back on track, but this is an interesting pick for a team in need of secondary help. Joseph is a big hitter with some coverage ability, and he’ll fill the hole left by Charles Woodson, which is a major thing to do. But at 5' 10" and 205 pounds, he’s a little light for the position at the NFL level. Bob Sanders will be the idealized position, but Sanders was an outlier, and he was also hurt a lot. Size debits combined with a physical style seems to be a recipe for danger, but Joseph is a true competitor.
Strengths: There are some inherent dangers in playing a devil-may-care game like Joseph does—penalties and injuries, to name a couple. There also is a clear benefit to having a big hitter who makes receivers think twice about going over the middle. Joseph moves well downhill, and he also can drop down and cover. —Chris Burke
Weaknesses: Torn ACL in 2015. Can get trapped out of position looking for the big hit. —CB
