A Superb Late-Round Small School Target For the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders lost safety Tre'von Moehrig to free agency, but they signed Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao looked strong in 2024 despite a small sample size.

Depth is everything, especially in the secondary, so it won't come as a surprise if the Raiders spend a pick on a safety. While the front-end of the draft will likely be focused on skill players and high-end defensive talent, the Raiders could use a late pick on Marshall safety J.J. Roberts.

Roberts was recently named a sleeper by 33rd Team's James Foster, who wrote that the prospect deserves Day 3 consideration after a strong Pro Day performance.

"J.J. Roberts led the FBS with twelve forced incompletions in 2024, and he followed up his monster season with a dominant pro day," wrote Foster. "His 1.46 10-yard split (99th percentile) was the second fastest among all players in the 2025 class and the best among defensive backs. His 40-yard dash, short shuttle, 3-cone, and vertical jump were all 86th percentile or better. At just 192-pounds, Roberts is built more like a nickel, and his lack of size is the biggest knock on him as a prospect. But I think his athleticism and coverage skills are special enough to earn him a role in the NFL.

"You don’t have to get very deep into J.J. Roberts’ tape to confirm that he’s more than just a workout warrior. His speed and burst show up consistently and make him a force in deep zone coverage. Roberts is a pure deep safety, which is a rarity in today’s NFL. He lined up at free safety on over 71% of his defensive snaps last year and does his best work the further away he is from the line of scrimmage.

"He has the range to patrol the sidelines from single-high and the explosiveness to drive on passing lanes over the middle of the field. When he plants and drives on an in-breaking route he looks like he was shot out of a cannon. But Roberts brings a lot more to the table than just raw athleticism. At free safety, he has very good field vision and is capable of processing routes in his peripheral while keeping his eyes on the quarterback.

"While he lacks the ideal physical profile to play in the box, Roberts is still a high-impact run defender. Most safeties that line up as deep as he does are understandably absent in run support, but Roberts’ rare closing speed allows him to practically teleport from a deep alignment and cut off angles to the edge.

"Playing man on third down can be risky against a mobile quarterback, since every defender is fixated on their coverage assignment downfield. But Roberts was consistently able to shut down scramble attempts that would have moved the chains against most defenses. His quick trigger downhill and blazing pursuit speed allowed him to close on the ball before the quarterback even crossed the line of scrimmage."

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