With as talented as the Raiders rookie class was last year, they were incomplete most of the year. They were without Johnathan Abram, who during training camp was looking like he could be the best in the class.
The first-round safety tore his rotator cuff early in the first game of the season and was lost for the season. It was a tough blow for Abram and for the Raiders who had high hopes for him. Luckily they had 2018 starter Erik Harris to step in, so there wasn’t a big dropoff.
This offseason, Karl Joseph looks headed for free agency, so the starting duo at this juncture figures to be Abram and Harris with little in the way of depth behind them. The best-case scenario is Abram gets healthy and stays that way. As of now, it appears he will not miss any of the team’s offseason activities.
Says he’s going to be texting Abram later to tell him to stay off the airwaves.
“He’s 100% right now, he’s ready to go,” Mike Mayock said in an interview with NFL Network at the Scouting Combine Friday. “If he stays healthy this year we’re going to have a difference-maker on the back end.”
Having Abram back will be much like having an extra first-round pick this year. Except he will be at the facility with his teammates before Mayock and Gruden draft their second class together.
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