2019 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile

Name: Johnathan Abram

Position: Safety

School: Mississippi State University

Height: 6’1

Weight: 215 pounds

Round Projection: Day 1-2

Stats

Speed

While not a burner when tracking away from the line, Abram runs with adequate speed. However, playing downhill, towards the play, he seems to pick up the acceleration. As a result, he thrives in flying through player clutter to sniff out the ballcarrier. Without hesitation, Bram swoops into the scrum and fishes out the target. On the other hand, with good, but not great speed, he fits the mold of a box safety.

Coverage

As mentioned, Abram fits the high-contact areas of the line of scrimmage. However, when called upon in deep coverage, Abram acquits himself fairly well. Underneath, he shows the ability to stay with any size or shape of tight end. In the flats, he will not allow backs to blur by him.

Ball Skills

When defining Abram’s ability to make plays on the ball, realize that is not quiet his mindset. Granted, his two picks and ten PBU suggests some sort of capability. Yet, Abram’s game is not the ballhawk that teams covet.

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Tackling

So far, we have discussed what Abrams shows moderate to above-average proficient at. Now, we will delve into what he does best. Without a doubt, Abram attacks the target with malice. Regardless of location or target, he attempts to separate the ball. However, his first goal always remains to make the stop. With sound grasp and drive, he accomplishes this. Moreover, he will change levels to compensate for angles or shiftiness of running. When in space, he will attempt to make the sound, technical play instead of trying to destroy.

Intangibles

In the construct of any defense, Abram’s aggression becomes infection. Lost among stats and 40 times, some teams forgot that attitude and passion for the game still means something. Abram wants to make every play and he approaches them all with ferocity.

Raiders Fit

If the Raiders retain Karl Joseph, Abram makes sense. First, shifting Joseph over to free safety allows him to do what he does best: roam. Next, Abram as a box/defender/subpackage linebacker fits. He can cover the intermediate routes or bear down on the line of scrimmage. Either way, the Raiders bring a little more size to the safety unit. In return, Joseph and Abram, combined with a veteran signing will transform this group into strength, for the first time in years.