Round 1, Pick 14: Karl Joseph, Safety, West Virginia
Highlights:
Comment: Early on this year, I was looking at a couple of highlights of 1st round prospects the Raiders could take with their #14 pick. It ranged from Mackensie Alexander to Ezekiel Elliot to Sheldon Rankins and to Myles Jack. And during that span, I did come across some highlights of Karl Joseph and saw a little bit of tape of him in an actual game against Oklahoma. During this draft, I liked the idea that Myles Jack would fall to us, then when I heard that Karl Joseph was the selection, I had somewhat of a mixed reaction, but it's mainly positive. I thought he would've been still available during the 2nd round because his stock dropped off after the ACL injury, but the Raiders were comfortable drafting him at the #14 spot. When I saw Karl Joseph's highlights, my first impression was that this guy is a hard hitter. He's also a solid tackler in the open field against the run and he has a nose for the football. I heard he had three interceptions in one game, lead the nation in with five interceptions before his ACL tear; he's always around where the football is at. Joseph could be that hard hitting enforcer-type Safety that the Raiders haven't had in a long time since "The Assassin," Jack Tatum. Albeit he's a little small in size, I heard he can play anywhere from Free Safety to Strong Safety to Nickel Safety. Keep in mind, McKenzie and Del Rio love versatile players. The number of selections that the Raiders made on players who can play anywhere on the field is evident: Mack (OLB/DE), Carrie (CB/S), Cooper (Outside/Slot Receiver), Edwards, Jr. (DT/DE), Ball (OLB/ILB), Feliciano (T/G/C) to name a few. Add Karl Joseph to the list of versatile players. Even though Charles Woodson retired, Joseph will still benefit playing behind veteran safeties Reggie Nelson and Nate Allen. Not to mention, he also has Marcus Robertson and the Hall-of-Famer Rod Woodson coaching him up. Good pick, a little bit of a reach at the 14th spot, but he can be the guy patrolling the secondary on the defense for a very long time.
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