On more than one occasion, Jon Gruden has talked about his desire to get more out of a few recent Raider draft classes.
Gruden has talked about finding out what he has in Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu (both were injured in 2017), but another player to watch might be the Raiders 2016 first-round pick, Karl Joseph.
Based on a soft projection from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Joseph might not be an assumed starter in the Raiders secondary under new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Instead, Tafur listed Gareon Conley, Rashaan Melvin, Marcus Gilchrist, and Reggie Nelson as his early favorites to start.
Tafur may not be a personnel or scouting wizard (or maybe he is), but he is well connected to the Raiders’ inner workings and he didn’t draw names out of a hat. There is some significance to Joseph’s name being left off the list.
There is also significance to the names Tafur put on the list.
Tafur believes Reggie Nelson, who played for Guenther in Cincinnati, is not just a “camp guy” brought back to teach the team Guenther’s system.
If that’s the case, the Raiders could feature a pair of 35 year-olds (Nelson and Derrick Johnson) down the middle of their defense in 2018.
That might be fun to watch… 🤨
twitter: @raidersbeat
Throw him on the pile of 1st and 2nd round picks that McKenzie blew or reached for in the draft. Oh, but he can hit hard! Whoopie!
If they don’t start Karl I quit this team. So done with this bs.
Oh that sounds like a “real” Raider fan or is it just that you are looking for a reason to complain. Are you a coach, a football exec, a paid scout, or just a disgruntled whiner who wants certain players on the field whether or not it is in the best interest of the team. Why can’t you wait and see what happens in preseason, see how the players perform before you start whining?
I sure hope this is a joke . Nelson obviously lost more than a step last year . He was constantly late on medium to deep plays and teams knew it and acted accordingly . It wasn’t just a poor defensive scheme . If he does start , he should play in the box and Gilchrist the single high safety otherwise it’s bombs away again .
Anybody who watched a Raider game last year knows that Reggie Nelson at this point in his career is not a starting caliber safety.
Rod Woodson turned around our last super bowl season . Is it too early to break-out the “olds guys don’t necessarily suck” t shirts
Karl Josephs will do well if he is played at free safety. He has the speed and instincts for tge position. He is a little to short for strong safety even though he hits like a truck. Reggie is several years past his prime and probably shouldn’t make the final cut. GilChrist, Josephs, Obi, and Luani will work fine.
If it is a real open competition, I don’t see how Nelson even makes the team. And starting Nelson over KJ is lunacy. KJ has a higher PFF grade and is a superior player against the run and pass. And if you don’t trust PFF facts, trust your eyes. KJ covers way more area than Nelson.
Karl Joseph will start – relax!