When the Raiders host the Jets on Sunday, they’ll face a defensive player they may have been close to taking in the first round of last year’s draft.
The Raiders ended up taking Karl Joseph, but they apparently also liked Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee in the first round.
“I think if the Raiders didn’t take Karl Joseph, they were high on Darron Lee,” Raiders voice Greg Papa said on 95.7 The Game on Thursday.
The Jets ended up drafting Lee with the 20th overall pick – six picks after the Raiders drafted Joseph.
Lee battled injuries in his rookie season and was solid at times, but hasn’t yet lived up to the hype he received leading up to the draft.
As for the Raiders pick, Joseph is already one of the cornerstones of Ken Norton Jr.’s defense. The former West Virginia safety seemed to get better each week in his first season and his acrobatic deflection of a Mariota pass on Sunday spoiled what would have been a Tennessee touchdown.
Looks like you got the right man, Raiders.
twitter: @raidersbeat
