Raiders to look safety in 2021 NFL Draft after release of Lamarcus Joyner?

The Las Vegas Raiders have cut Lamarcus Joyner after two years with the team. The move saves the team $8.7 million against the cap by releasing him.

Las Vegas continues the trend of releasing players to free up cap space. Just a few weeks ago, the team released interior offensive lineman Gabe Jackson, which saved $9.6 million in cap space. With the salary cap still undetermined, the Raiders are now sitting at $10 million available if the cap sits at the absolute floor of $180 million.

With limited money available in free agency, expect the Raiders to try and build through the draft, unless they can move some other players, like Marcus Mariota, to free up some more money.

Raiders looking safety in the draft?

The Raiders are sitting at the 17th overall pick and now have a hole at safety. A name like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah immediately stands out. Owusu-Koramoah is a linebacker/safety hybrid who would thrive in a role similar to what Panthers’ rookie Jeremy Chinn would play.

With the safety class being quite weak this year, a player like Owusu-Koramoah can cover wide receivers and tight ends and still play in short zones like a linebacker and sniff out outside zone runs. He won’t excel in between the tackles when he needs to deconstruct blocks, but his coverage prowess is evident on tape, and he is one nasty tackler.

Las Vegas has a number of defensive needs, and drafting a player like Owusu-Koramoah can alleviate a few of those needs. With just enough money to sign their draft class, the Raiders will have a very young team who will need to grow into their roles as NFL players, Owusu-Koramoah will be the guy to step in and make a big impact on day one.