We all know the Las Vegas Raiders‘ flaws last season, outside of the coaching monstrosity that happened every week. Their defense, it was the main cause of death when it came to the Raiders ending their season early.
Since 2014 the Raiders haven’t had a defense better than 20th in the league, and have had a 30th or worse-ranked defense three times. It’s fair to say it’s time for a change on that side of the ball. It’s time for the Raiders to go back to having a stout defense.
They can start by doing that through the 2023 NFL Draft, where they have the seventh pick. And there are plenty of defensive guys that can help. One of them will help make their biggest defensive problem better in 2023 right away.
Brian Branch, the Alabama safety, is by far the best safety in the draft, and possibly the best defensive back in the draft. He is the 10th best player in the draft according to Pro Football Focus and is the best tackler in the draft of defensive backs with only four career misses on 174 attempts.
The junior safety had a coverage grade of 86.4 this last year. It’s safe to say he can play defense and lock up the best of them. At Alabama he also played a bit in the slot, which is good for the NFL as teams will like to move you around a bit.
The Raiders had one bright spot in their secondary all year long, and that would be Nate Hobbs, who missed most of the season with injuries. He started the first few games of the year as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and kind of slowed it down as the season went on.
Pairing a great safety that can have help over the top would be great for the Raiders and their defense. If they can find out a way to cover better, then eventually the pass rush will get home too. I think Branch can help accomplish exactly what the Raiders need.
