The Las Vegas Raiders‘ secondary was considered a major problem area heading into the offseason. The team did extend Eric Stokes and traded for nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, but that’s all they did in free agency.
The Raiders were expected to target offensive line and wide receiver heavily in the draft, but they ended up going hard after defensive backs. The team used four draft picks on cornerbacks and safeties.
That apparently wasn’t enough for them. Las Vegas also signed some undrafted free agent defensive backs. One name that stuck out was former BYU safety Tanner Wall.
Undrafted rookies have a very hard time making teams, but Wall is a name to watch. He was First-Team All-Big 12 last season at BYU and had caught four interceptions. What will make things difficult for him is that the Raiders just drafted safeties in Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson. They’ll have a leg up on Wall. However, if he outplays either of them in training camp, that will help his chances a lot. He’ll initially have to show that he can make plays on special teams, but he’s a player to keep an eye on. The Raiders also signed his BYU teammate, Chase Roberts.
Wall An Underrated Athlete
Wall isn’t particularly fast. He ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at his pro day. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a strong athlete.
Jeremy Mauss of CougarsWire broke down what makes Wall an above-average athlete.
“Where Wall really shines and is in the ‘elite’ category is his vertical and broad jump,” Mauss wrote. “His size is the biggest red flag. Wall stands at just 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, but he’s an overall elite athlete. His 8.78 RAS means he’s almost in the top 90th percentile among safeties, even with his small size hurting his score.
“The athleticism is there but size and being elite or great in multiple areas is a ding. Expect Wall to get a chance as an undrafted free agent.”
Raiders Favoring Versatility in Defensive Backfield
Something that stands out about the Raiders’ draft is that they’ve valued versatility in the defensive backfield. Stukes is a player who can play every position in the secondary. It was important for the team to add players who can do multiple things.
“All those guys are pretty versatile; they’ve played nickel, deep [safety and] outside [cornerback],” director of college scouting Brandon Yeargan said after the draft. “Even Stukes has played outside corner in his career, too. So, it really helps, especially [since] we’re going to have a pretty versatile scheme under [new defensive coordinator] Robbie Leonard, so that’s a critical component too.”
The Raiders’ secondary looks significantly better than it did prior to the draft. The group is young, athletic and has big-time upside. Stukes and fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy could’ve both easily been first-round picks. If those two hit, the Raiders are going to be thrilled. It’s going to be a very young secondary this season, but the upside is tremendous. New defense coordinator Rob Leonard has some good pieces to work with this season.
Raiders Land Highly Touted DB in Free Agency