Built Through the Draft: Oakland Raiders

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May 31, 2016; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders safety Karl Joseph (42) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Bottom Line

Of course, the Raiders have their draft class of 2016 coming in this year and it looks like they’ve drafted well again. They have once again picked the best player in the draft in SS Karl Joseph. The only reason he fell to No. 14 for the Raiders to take him is a torn ACL he suffered in 2015.

He played in only four games and had five INTs to show just how much of a playmaker he is. To go along with ball-hawking in a zone, he can cover man to man and my goodness can he hit. He’s only 5’10”, 205 pounds but he regularly drills 270-pound tight ends and 230-pound RBs.

In the second round the Raiders took DE Jihad Ward, who many of the media questioned just like Edwards. Ironically, the Raiders see him as a bigger version of Ward so we’ll get a chance to see what he can do. Then in the third round, the Raider stole Shilque Calhoun, a productive edge-rusher in college, but he’ll have limited opportunities with Mack and Irvin there.

Another name worth noting is Ben Heeney, taken by the Raiders in the fifth round in 2015. When I first saw him last him, I thought, “He’s about 10 pounds away from being at least a solid starting MIKE. He hasn’t gained that 10 pounds yet but he has the green dot now, meaning he’s shown Del Rio enough to put him in at the MIKE.

The Oakland Raiders are on their way and truly built through the draft.

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