Oakland Raiders rookie safety Johnathan Abram is already living up to expectations.

This was what Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (via Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams) on June 6.

He's smart. He's real smart. From a rookie player, with all the stuff safeties have to know, he's on top of it each and every day.

So it's good to have him. When you're back there, as I stand at the back of the defense, I hear him communicate. He doesn't sound like a rookie player. He sounds like a veteran player.

Oakland made Abram the 27th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. He joins a group of Raiders rookie defensive players which include defensive ends Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, and Quinton Bell as well as cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Isaiah Johnson.

Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead lauded the group, telling Gehlken on Thursday they're “hard workers.” He also compared them to sponges because they're just “soaking everything up.”

Whitehead singled out Abram, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“J.A., I'm always going back and forth with him. He likes to talk a lot. That's my guy.”

Williams expects Abram to become the Raiders' starting free safety once the regular season kicks off on September 9. He should start alongside strong safety Karl Joseph.

From the looks of things, it seems Johnathan Abram will become one of the Raiders' stalwarts on defense for years to come.