NFL Draft Case Study

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West Virginia University's hard-hitting Karl Joseph was selected 14th overall in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday by the Oakland Raiders. Joseph is a physical, smart, play-making safety who is a team player and plays with passion for the game. He is versatile enough to play in the box against the run as well as play in coverage. In his career with the Mountaineers, Joseph had nine interceptions. Five of those came in four games last season before injuring his knee. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound safety is the fourth WVU defender to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft and the first since Bruce Irvin was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012. Oakland lost nine-time Pro Bowler Charles Woodson, who retired after a stellar …show more content…

The Raiders added safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Sean Smith in free agency. Head Coach Jack Del Rio told SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier in April that the team would look to add talent at the safety spot. With Allen's health concerns and Oakland allowing an NFL-high 12 receiving touchdowns by tight ends last season, Joseph could make an immediate impact. “We need to acquire some people there, we’re going to make it more competitive throughout this offseason we’ll continue to monitor availability as free agents, we’ll continue to monitor and prepare ourselves for the draft,” he said. “To me, you have to acquire talent, you have to acquire guys who can get it done in the back end and be able to make plays. It helps if you have veteran experience but it’s not a must-have if you acquire talent.” The Raiders' secondary struggled at times last season. According to Football Outsiders, the Panthers were second in the NFL in pass defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which measures a team’s efficiency by comparing success on every single play to a league average based on situation and opponent. The Raiders were 16th. With the additions of Smith, Nelson and Joseph Oakland's secondary is in a much better

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