With the draft under a few weeks away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ safety position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao
Backups: Thomas Harper, Trey Taylor, Chris Smith II
Tre'von Moehrig and Marcus Epps were the Raiders two starting safeties the past two seasons and were a solid duo. And now both are gone. Epps was injured last season in week three and replaced in the starting lineup by Pola-Mao who had his moments, but was very inconsistent, ranging from some very good games to some very bad ones. Undrafted rookie Thomas Harper also entered as an injury replacement late in the season. The others were mostly relegated to special teams.
Condition: Unstable
Joining the team as the only outside free agent to sign more than a one-year deal is Jeremy Chinn. They also invested in Isaiah Pola-Mao which would suggest they see him as the full time starter moving forward.
After that they have some young players in Harper, Taylor, and Smith. Harper is the only one who was undrafted and he has shown the most out of the three, starting five games last season.
Draft projection
They could use some depth at safety in case of injury or at very leasts for competition for a starting job. Not something they need to prioritize in the first two days, but a position to watch.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: What condition Raiders safety position is in ahead of the NFL Draft
