Las Vegas Raiders 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft: Big defensive upgrades

Las Vegas Raiders 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 2, 48th overall

After making a much-needed addition to their pass rush in the first round of this NFL mock draft, the Las Vegas Raiders add an impact playmaker in the secondary here in the second. Expect the Raiders to play a lot of Cover 3 under Bradley and they need to find a coverage safety who can handle deep zone responsibilities. Enter Richie Grant.

Grant is an extremely athletic safety prospect who shows tremendous range and instincts on the back-end. He is a quick and explosive athlete who always seems to be around the ball and also plays the game with impressive competitive toughness.

Grant also displays high-level ball skills, giving him massive playmaking upside as a deep zone defender. While the Las Vegas Raiders would be taking Grant primarily to play this deep safety role, his well-rounded skill-set allows him to make an impact in a variety of ways on the defensive side of the ball.

The UCF product is an extremely tough defender who tackles well in space and is not afraid to come up and offer support against the run. He also shows some upside as a blitz weapon and has the quickness to mirror opposing receivers well in man-to-man coverage.

Make no mistake about it, Grant is an impact defensive player who has massive upside at the next level. The Raiders need a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball and adding Grant to the mix would help them in a variety of ways.