Raiders Third-Round Possibilities, Part 14
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The Las Vegas Raiders would seem to have both of their starting safety spots set for this upcoming season.
Pending potential injuries, Trevon Moehrig and Johnathan Abram will be the teams' primary safety duo once, again, but Abrams' spot could be more tenuous.
With the fifth-year option on his contract yet to be picked up, Abram is essentially entering the final year of his rookie deal.
General Manager Dave Ziegler could decide to invest new talent alongside Moehrig, and Illinois safety Kerby Joseph would present an intriguing potential day-three selection.
Finally emerging as a starter in his senior season last year, Joseph timed it perfectly to put up standout numbers.
Joseph finished the season with 57 total tackles, one sack, and five interceptions, hugely eclipsing all of his previous production.
He finished as Pro Football Focus's fifth-highest rated safety last season, with his forced completion percentage of 21.1 percent landing in the top percentile of safeties.
At 6-1 and 200 pounds, Joseph has the requisite size and athleticism to play either in deep safety looks or in the box.
Joseph's nearly 6-8 wingspan gives him a great ability to make plays on the football and consistently affect the catch-point.
While not overly explosive, Joseph is a fluid athlete who can flip his hips and change direction very easily, allowing him to break quickly any spot on the field in coverage.
His overall speed lacks compared to other prospects, though, giving him less range in deep coverage.
Joseph's lack of experience also has concerned scouts, who can bring up the fact that Joseph couldn't lock down a starting spot at Illinois until he was a senior.
What can't be disputed was that when Joseph finally got the opportunity to start, he showed the ability to be a real playmaker in coverage.
Whatever inexperience he may have can be rectified by getting reps at the pro level, and having a great length and ball skills can help offset lacking top-end speed.
It adds to Jospeh having the potential to be a prime contributor at the NFL level, something the Raiders could use more in their defensive backfield.
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