ALAMEDA — Karl Joseph wasn’t down on himself Tuesday after the news came out that he was shifted to second-team safety on the Raiders’ depth chart for their season-opener against the New Orleans Saints.

“I didn’t expect anything given to me,” Joseph told this newspaper. “I’ve just got to keep learning, keep getting better and keep growing as a player and everything else will fall in its place.

“I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I have no doubt in myself that I’ll get my spot back.”

Veteran Nate Allen now is the listed starter at strong safety ahead of Joseph, the Raiders’ first-round pick who had held that spot since the initial depth chart was released Aug. 8.

“I’m just getting ready for the Saints right now, and we’ll let everything else fall into place, whether it’s starting on special teams or on defense,” Allen said.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio had hinted recently that Joseph had a ways to go.

“He’s still growing,” Del Rio said of Joseph after an Aug. 17 exhibition against Tennessee. “He’s still competing for time, still developing. Remember, he missed the whole offseason. For a young guy, as far as getting reps, he was there mentally doing the best he could but it takes time. It takes reps and experience. He’s getting it on the run right now. He’ll continue to work on it.”

The Raiders drafted Joseph with the No. 14 pick from West Virginia with the idea that he’d step right in as a starter. But that was always taking the most optimistic approach as he makes his return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that cost him most of his senior season of college.

“I don’t use that as an excuse,” said Joseph, who missed the whole offseason program rehabilitating from the injury. “I’ve still got to go in there and learn, put in the extra time that some of the guys that have been here don’t have to.”

Joseph has learned that high expectations follow first-round picks wherever they go, but he says those aren’t weighing on him.

“(There’s) a lot of high expectations from the outside world, but it doesn’t faze me too much because of the expectations I put on myself,” Joseph said. “I put a lot of high expectations on myself. Everything else is just outside noise. I try to block it out and just try to stay focused, stay grounded and just learn what I’ve got to do and do my job.”

Even if he doesn’t make the start Sunday in New Orleans, Joseph is excited to finally partake in his first NFL game whatever the role may be. His teammates have noticed that he’s ready to make his first real NFL hit.

“He’s been so anxious to hit,” free safety Reggie Nelson said last week. “I’ve been like, ‘Look here, you don’t hit like that in the league in practice. It’s mostly mental reps. They’re not going to let you just pounce on all these people. Everybody’s getting paid a lot of money, and they ain’t trying to get them hurt.’ He’s been anxious to hit. I was just glad to see him out there running around, having a little fun.”

Undrafted rookie running back Jalen Richard will return home for his NFL debut against the Saints. Richard was born in Baton Rouge, where he still has plenty of family, and grew up in Alexandria. Sunday will mark his first time in the Superdome and his first time at a regular season NFL game. “This story can’t get any better,” he tweeted. “Tryout guy, you make the 53 and then your first game is back in your home state. It’s going to be — I can’t tell you how I’m going to feel until I first step out there but I know it’s going to be an amazing feeling.”

Quarterback Derek Carr, center Rodney Hudson, defensive end Khalil Mack and safety Reggie Nelson were all named captains.