The Raiders lost free safety Charles Woodson to retirement after an 18-year career and still being a standout for Oakland last season. And, sure, the Raiders did sign free-agent free safety Reggie Nelson, but he turns 33 in September.
My take: Karl Joseph is a hard-hitting safety in the mold of Mike Mitchell, who was supposed to be the second coming of Jack Tatum. Not so much. He is more Earl Thomas. And while Joseph might not be as raw as Mitchell, not with five interceptions for the Mountaineers last year, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Joseph is coming off a serious knee injury that limited him to four games. Three of his interceptions came in one game, against Georgia Southern. Whether he makes an immediate contribution is not an immediate factor for the Raiders, as strange as that might sound for a first-round pick. "By watching the tape, you can feel the passion," Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie said. "He'll run and hit whatever moves." McKenzie also said Joseph checked out fine medically. "The doctors gave us the thumbs up," he said, adding that the safety would be ready to play this season.
Rebuilding the secondary: The Raiders' last line of defense needed an overhaul after Woodson's retirement, and the team did so to a degree in free agency with the signings of cornerback Sean Smith and Nelson. Adding the hard-hitting Joseph, so long as he's healthy and ready to roll, as McKenzie said, gives the Raiders a ball hawk in the secondary as well. Nate Allen figures to be the starting strong safety, but Joseph, who had 284 tackles in 38 starts over his college career, could also play significant snaps. Especially with the Raiders giving up an NFL-high 12 receiving touchdowns by tight ends last season. Still, Oakland's opponents completed 24.6 percent of their passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield last season, the second-lowest rate in the league. The Green Bay Packers led the NFL with a 24.3 percent rate.
Breaking out: The only other West Virginia defensive back to go in the first round in the common NFL draft? Try Adam "Pacman" Jones, who went No. 6 overall in 2006. In fact, the Mountaineers have had four first-round picks in the past five drafts, after having four total from 1967 through 2011.
What's next: The resurgent Raiders, who entered the draft with eight draft picks, have selections in each the second and third rounds Friday, Nos. 44 and 75 overall. Last year the Raiders drafted defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. in the second round and tight end Clive Wolford in the third. Inside linebacker, cornerback and running back remain needs for Oakland.