Del Rio, Raiders laud Joseph's big hits and ball skills

During free agency the Oakland Raiders upgraded their pass rushing talent by signing free agent Bruce Irvin to play on the opposite side of Khalil Mack.

Tonight, with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Jack Del Rio took a step in fortifying the backend of the team’s pass defense by drafting West Virginia safety Karl Joseph.

With an already strong front seven, Oakland was in search of a physical player to patrol its defensive backfield. In 2015, Oakland ranked 26th in the league for passing defense, yielding more than 258 yards through the air per game.

“We talked about secondary play and our desire to have it perform at a higher level,” Del Rio said.

“The temperament that he (Joseph) brings, the intensity that he plays with and the instincts that he has, are all things that we covet.”

Both McKenzie and Del Rio appreciated the versatility Joseph showed in college too. While the standout defender became know for his bone-jarring hits, he proved to be a consistent tackler and only got better in pass coverage from year to year.

Joseph made 284 total tackles in his college career. He also recorded eight interceptions and eight forced fumbles.

“I wouldn’t take away anything from his ballhawking ability or ball skills,” Del Rio said. “I think his instincts, his ability to read quarterbacks and catch balls, not just knock balls down, shows that he’s a play maker.”

“He is more than just a hitter, he’s a really good football player.”

McKenzie was asked whether or not Oakland considered anyone else like UCLA’s Myles Jack with pick 14. Despite Joseph not even taking a pre-draft visit to Oakland, the Raiders were only targeting the West Virginia product on Thursday night.

“The one guy who I know we considered is Karl Joseph, and we got him,” McKenzie said.

Joseph, who is coming off of knee surgery after suffering an ACL injury last October might not be healthy in time for training camp, but his medicals didn’t scare off McKenzie or Del Rio because of the in-depth scouting and vetting that the organization completed.

Both Oakland scouts and West Virginia coaches reassured McKenzie and Del Rio that Joseph was the right pick.

“When you look at the tape and its good tape and then you get feedback like we got from scouts and comments from coaches, it only bolsters your opinion,” Del Rio added. “As coaches when we get involved in the early spring and prepare for the draft, when we hear positives like that, it adds to the feeling that you have.”

Joseph was the fourth first round pick from West Virginia in the last five years. He also was the first Big 12 pick in the 2016 draft.