Historic regular seasons lack significance when they end in the postseason prematurely.

The Oakland Raiders learned this truth first hand in 2016. Their 12 wins marked the second-most in franchise history and netted the Silver and Black their first playoff appearance since the 2002 season, but the team’s season truly ended two weeks prior with a jarring blow to an incomparably valuable player.

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In Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr went down with a broken fibula — effectively ending any chance Oakland had at the Super Bowl.

The Raiders were forced to lean on their offense win games given specific deficiencies on the other side of the ball.

The Raiders’ group of defensive backs allowed the ninth-most passing yards per game, third-most yards per catch, and was rated the 24th ranked secondary. Finally, Oakland’s secondary allowed an NFL-most 61 explosive plays (20 yards or more) in 2016.

The Raiders have already taken some steps to address this issue in firing defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson Thursday, but they’ll also need to upgrade their personnel.

Here’s a look at the Top-5 cornerbacks (sorted by probability of being drafted) most likely to land with Oakland in the first two rounds of the 2017 draft.

No. 1: Desmond King, Iowa, 5-foot 11-inches, 200-pounds

Iowa’s Desmond King is a Top-10 cornerback. He’s also the most likely to land on the Raiders roster in the first two rounds (No.24 and No. 56 overall).

In 2016, King recorded 58 solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, one forced fumble and three interceptions.

He’s the most physical corner out of the five being evaluated, that may end up as a safety before his career is over in the NFL. He finds the ball quickly and excels as a return man with both punts and kicks.

King is projected to run the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, making some scouts believe he’ll struggle with faster receivers in the NFL.

But at six feet and 200 pounds, King can afford to lose 20 pounds to work as the fifth defensive back in nickel packages. With dropped weight, will come improved speed and play.

Don’t be surprised if King shows up lighter and faster than some presume.

No. 2: Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson 6-foot 1-inch, 195 pounds

Cordrea Tankersley anchored a Clemson secondary that ranked 10th in the nation in opponent’s completion percentage (52.4%).

He led the team in pass deflections with 11, in interceptions with four and held the seventh-best quarterback rating allowed in the nation (37.7).

Armed with extraordinary ball skills in the air, recovering from routes with his speed comes with ease.

Tankersley is also a talented tackler, a fact demonstrated by his 10 tackles for loss in his Clemson career. His eclectic skill set is why he checks in at No. 2.

No. 3: Sidney Jones, Washington, 6-foot, 181-pounds

Sidney Jones proved to be the University of Washington’s best defender last season.

While matching up against the best wide receivers the Pac-12, Jones displayed the best lockdown corner skill set in the draft to go along with his good size.

Jones is a ballhawk that possesses great anticipation and recovery speed. His wide receiver-like ball skills paired with his athletic ability aided Jones in forcing a ridiculous 16 turnovers over his three-year career at Washington.

Jones’ physicality at the line of scrimmage is just one of many attributes that should bolster his draft stock.

But the cornerback can also come up and make a hit in the box when needed as well.

No. 4: Adoree’ Jackson, USC, 5-foot 11-inches, 185-pounds

Adoree Jackson’s combination of acceleration, instincts, and play-making ability makes him an unquestioned first-round talent in the 2017 NFL draft.

Jackson would give the Raiders a quick corner who could match up nicely in the slot against in-division players such as Tyreek Hill and Emmanuel Sanders.

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Not only is Jackson a tremendous raw talent at cornerback, he’s also an incredible punt and kick returner as well.

In fact, Jackson is one of the rare athletes that teams will likely play in all three phases of the game.

Projected as a third-round player, Jackson is likely to be off of the draft board before Oakland gets a chance to pick in the first round.

But should he still be available, the Raiders would be wise to seriously consider the USC product.

No. 5: Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State, 6-foot, 192-pounds

Marshon Lattimore is currently projected to go between pick No. 13-19. But should he somehow slip to the Raiders at No. 24, he would be a steal for the Silver and Black.

Lattimore forced four interceptions and logged nine passes defensed while dominating in man coverage in 2016.

Lattimore has a smooth release off of the line of scrimmage. Below, one can see his ease of acceleration, great footwork and superior ball skills.

One of the most fundamentally sound defensive backs to come out of college in the last two years — and assuming his NFL Combine numbers pan out — don’t be surprised to see a team nab Lattimore within the Top-15 picks in the 2017 draft.

Note: August Weinstein contributed analysis and images to this article.