Silver And Black Pride
I recently asked for questions for this edition of the mailbag over on Twitter, if you’re interested in any mailbag questions please either leave them in the comments below and/or follow me on Twitter for a future iteration of the mailbags here: Twitter
Is there a chance Isaiah Pola-Mao misses the roster?
I don’t think Isaiah Pola-Mao is on the roster bubble, but I also don’t think he’s guaranteed a spot on the roster. Pola-Mao rose to being a starter in 2024 after playing just 211 snaps in 2022 & 2023 in his career compared to 952 in 2024 & 1081 in 2025. Pola-Mao did well initially in the NFL as a rotational safety who would play well in the dime linebacker role, an overhang safety, and spot snaps as a nickel cornerback. Pola-Mao isn’t a traditional safety, he struggles downfield in coverage, and despite having the athleticism just doesn’t seem natural for the position. Additionally, Pola-Mao saw his missed tackles spike in 2025 up to nearly 20%, and he’s also not great when asked to play downfield in man to man coverage.
Pola-Mao does well closer to the line of scrimmage, he’s able to play with a good first step, and he can attack receivers out of their break within the 4-10 yard range but beyond that is when things get concerning. At the moment, Treydan Stukes is likely the starting FS, Jeremy Chinn at SS and then the third safety is a toss up. The Raiders drafted Dalton Johnson in the 5th round, and he has a chance to take that spot. Additionally, UDFA Tanner Wall could make a push towards the roster, and Las Vegas also has Tristin McCollum. Overall, I do think Pola-Mao makes the roster, more so as a 4th safety, and it’s hard to see him fully losing the job.
Why is the nickel position always talked about as being so valuable?
Ray Aspuria broke down the Raiders nickel position and it’s value to the defense, and I highly suggest you read that article. Overall, the NFL has seen the nickel position rise in recent seasons, where in 2010 nickel defense was ran just 48% of the time, to 55% in 2019, and then 65% in 2022. Last season, the rate of nickel defense was at 71% and that will only continue to rise. NFL teams are running more 11 & 12 personnel, largely due to more athletic TE that can match on safeties/cornerbacks due to athleticism, but defenses need to match them comparative to ILB who will struggle more than likely. The NFL has seen the nickel position also become valuable due to their emphasis vs the run & slot defenders.
Teams have started to run wide zone and concepts outside of the tackle at higher rates as well, and with nickel defenders, that’s a crucial aspect for their game. Slot defenders have transitioned from undersized cornerbacks, with an average height of 5’10 3/8 in 2019 to 5’11 7/8” in 2025. Additionally,...
