The Oakland Raiders are hoping for an improvement on their 2018 season. Part of this is in the hands of the rookie class, specifically safety Johnathan Abram. Abram proved himself to be quite the character on the first episode of Hard Knocks, and it appears that him and quarterback Derek Carr are forming a good rapport.
Pushes "like" button
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) August 12, 2019
Friendly banter like this is always a good thing to see between teammates, but means next to nothing in the grand scheme of things.
If the Raiders want to be competitive in 2019, Abram is going to have to help lead a defensive turnaround. Oakland selected the former Mississippi State safety with the 27th overall pick in April. He was one of two defenders selected in the first round by the Raiders, with the second being defensive end Clelin Ferrell.
Both of these guys are critical to the future of the franchise. Ferrell aims to turn around a pass rush that tallied only 13 sacks last year. Abram's goal is to shore up a pass defense that was one of the worst in the league last year.
If the defense improves, the Raiders are a sneaky pick for a Wild Card spot. The offensive line improved greatly over the offseason with the addition of Trent Brown, which will help Carr improve on a rough season from last year. Assuming star wide receiver Antonio Brown decides he wants to play, Oakland will field an explosive attack. If Abram can lead his unit, and Carr controls the offense, the Raiders could be a hard team to beat.
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