The first week of the preseason is officially over, and that means Pro Football Focus has graded every single player that took the field over the weekend. For the Raiders, their top performer wasn’t one of their top draft picks or established veterans.
Instead, it was undrafted rookie free agent Keisean Nixon who received the highest-grade (84.2) on the team. Take a look at their top-five defensive grades against the Rams:
Nixon was signed as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, where he played 16 games for the Gamecocks. During his college career, he tallied 71 tackles, nine pass deflections, and two interceptions. On Saturday night, he finished the game with one pass deflection, one tackle and allowed zero receptions.
Nixon is still considered a long-shot to make the roster, but with the recent suspension of Nevin Lawson and the concussion sustained by Isaiah Johnson, his odds keep improving. If he can continue to string together a few more practices and preseason performances like this, Nixon might just sneak his way onto the 53-man roster.
