Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek has been pretty coy about whether he intends to address specific positions in the upcoming NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
That was not the case when he was asked whether the team planned to use any of its 10 picks to select a safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have three safeties in the roster right now,\u201d Spytek said. \u201cSo it\u2019s just a math equation right there. We need a few more.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of those needs that may fly under the radar a bit because the Raiders are probably somewhat comfortable with the starters.<\/p>\n
This new scheme, however, figures to employ multiple safeties in a variety of roles. The Raiders need depth and the versatility that more bodies at the position will provide.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Spytek believes this draft class is deep at the position.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom top to bottom \u2026 there\u2019s some quality players there,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think historically, if you look for the right things and you find the right guy, that\u2019s a spot where you can find quality players maybe later in the draft, maybe there\u2019s some teams that don\u2019t value as much. But overall, obviously it\u2019s something we\u2019ve got to attack, and I\u2019m glad the class looks the way it does.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Raiders are in a similar situation at cornerback where they would probably be fine if they had to enter the season starting players who are currently on the roster.<\/p>\n
Depth and additional options, however, are nearly as important as they are at safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think every room we want to add competition to, and if we feel like adding another corner or another linebacker is in the best interest of us, we\u2019ll do it,\u201d Spytek said. \u201cWe want everybody to earn their spot in the starting lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week, the Review-Journal will examine six areas of potential need for the Raiders that may be addressed with one of their nine picks in the draft after the presumed pick of Fernando Mendoza at No. 1.<\/p>\n
Today, it\u2019s the defensive backs.:<\/p>\n
Current roster<\/p>\n
Cornerback: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson, Decamerion Richardson, Chigozie Anusiem, Greedy Vance<\/p>\n
Safety: Isaiah Pola-Mao, Jeremy Chinn, Tristin McCollum<\/p>\n
Analysis: Stokes has one corner spot locked down as long as he stays healthy again this season.<\/p>\n
The trade for Johnson was a somewhat quiet, yet important move to shore up the slot.<\/p>\n
Porter remains the big question. He flashed all the attributes that got him picked in the third round last season, but also showed some of the reason he may not have been as high on some other draft boards. A big step up from him would be a huge development.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was happy with the way Darien finished the season last year,\u201d Spytek said. \u201cHe\u2019s had a great offseason so far. He\u2019s been here a lot, and we\u2019ve seen the growth in him physically. I think you always expect guys to make a pretty big jump between years one and two.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of him for the way he competed last year and the way he\u2019s taken and attacked the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
The safeties are fine. They just need more of them.<\/p>\n
Mid-round possibilities\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cornerback: Chris Johnson, San Diego State; Brandon Cisse, South Carolina; Keith Abney II, Arizona State; D\u2019Angelo Ponds, Indiana; D\u2019Angelo Ponds, Indiana; Keionte Scott, Miami; Treydan Stukes, Arizona; Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State; Daylen Everette, Georgia, Devin Moore, Florida<\/p>\n
Safety: A.J. Haulcy, LSU; Michael Taaffe, Texas; Kamari Ramsey, USC; Zakee Wheatley, Penn State; Bud Clark, TCU; Genesis Smith, Arizona; Bishop Fitzgerald, USC<\/p>\n
Analysis: If we are going to assume defensive coordinator Rob Leonard is going to run something similar to what Klint Kubiak watched Mike Macdonald run in Seattle, Johnson, who came in for a visit, might be the ideal candidate as a zone corner with outstanding speed, closing ability and instincts to find a man and the ball in his area.<\/p>\n
Cisse isn\u2019t much of a scheme fit, but Abney could be ideal.<\/p>\n
Ponds would be reunited with Mendoza after winning a title together with the Hoosiers. Everette also had a visit with the Raiders.<\/p>\n
Assuming the top three safeties are off the board, Ramsey is a name to watch even if Haulcy may be higher on some teams\u2019 draft boards.<\/p>\n
Ramsey is a solid player, though he has dealt with injuries. Wheatley has the kind of versatility this coaching staff covets.<\/p>\n
Later-round possibilities<\/p>\n
Cornerback: Chandler Rivers, Duke; Malik Muhammad, Texas; Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina; Tacario Davis, Washington; Julian Neal, Arkansas; Will Lee III Texas A&M; Hezekiah Masses, California; Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin; Domani Jackson, Alabama; Ephesians Prysock, Washington<\/p>\n
Safety: Jakobe Thomas, Miami; Louis Moore, Indiana; VJ Payne, Kansas State; Jalen Stroman, Notre Dame; Dalton Johnson, Arizona; Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma; Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU; Xavier Nwankpa, Iowa<\/p>\n
Analysis: This is probably the area where the Raiders start looking in this direction.<\/p>\n
Muhammad would be a very good scheme fit. Masses could be very intriguing, though he has to improve in the run game.<\/p>\n
Jackson\u2019s lack of consistency could be a yellow flag, at least.<\/p>\n
As far as safeties, Thomas has huge upside and could be a name to watch. Moore, another member of the Hoosiers national championship team, is a good player and strong leader even if he lacks high-end speed.<\/p>\n
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com.<\/a> Follow @AdamHillLVRJ<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek has been pretty coy about whether he intends to address specific…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":868727,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2065],"tags":[7,1744,393,2455,2454,6,525],"class_list":{"0":"post-868726","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-las-vegas-raiders","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-las-vegas","10":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","11":"tag-lasvegas","12":"tag-lasvegasraiders","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-raiders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116422548103701935","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}