Where Young Raiders' Defenders Factor In

The Raiders have established defensive talent but many open roster spots, so the young talent could take advantage of the opportunity presented to them. 

Who are some of the young players who could see more snaps, and where do they currently factor in on defense? 

Let’s evaluate some of those Raiders defenders. 

The Raiders’ linebacker room is wide open outside of Elandon Roberts, meaning someone like Tommy Eichenberg could take advantage of offseason competition. 

Eichenberg did not see much action in his rookie season, but that could change. According to Pro Football Focus, he only saw the field for 78 snaps, totaling 13 tackles and starting one game. 

The Raiders drafted Eichenberg in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, not expecting him to make an immediate impact. Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo held down the starting spots, but both of those players are now gone, opening the door for Eichenberg. 

Eichenberg must be better in coverage to hold down a starting spot, but the opportunity is on the table for him to earn more snaps. 

The Raiders’ starters in the secondary are set, especially at safety, but the team added safeties on the third day of the draft in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024. What will 2025 have in store for Chris Smith II and Trey Taylor? 

Smith enters his third season in the NFL, having only logged 33 career snaps. He will likely be a rotational safety this season, contributing on special teams. 

Taylor only appeared in nine games during his rookie season, playing only on special teams. He is an intelligent, ball-hawking safety, and the Raiders need someone to force turnovers, so he could see more defensive snaps. 

The Raiders have many defensive players who could see the field much more as they progress through their careers and learn how to play at the NFL level. 

Having young, promising players could be an encouraging sign of a postseason run in 2025.

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