Raiders roster 2025: Thomas Harper a dark horse for slot cornerback, safety

Undrafted free agent was fiery, versatile defender in college and showed Year 1 glimpses in Las Vegas

Pete Carroll has long sought and valued versatility from his defenders — particularly in the secondary.

Based on the maneuvers the Las Vegas Raiders have made in free agency, the head coach is once again adding versatile defensive backs to his team. The two new safeties Carroll and general manager John Spytek brought in — Jeremy Chinn and Lonnie Johnson Jr. — can do a variety of things and aren’t pigeon holed into one particular aspect of the position.

Chinn, for example, is a bigger defender who has the physicality to drop in the box and be a force against the run but with enough speed and agility to play center field. Johnson, a cornerback turned safety, offers coverage chops along with willingness to tackle and play special teams.

There’s likely a current defensive back that’ll catch Carroll’s eye this offseason: Thomas Harper.

The undrafted free agent has the versatility that Carroll values and has a grounding in the defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme having played in 15 games (with five starts) this past season. The Oklahoma State and Notre Dame product racked up 26 total tackles (13 solo) with 0.5 sacks, one interception, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery as he was sprinkled in on defense and was a special teams mainstay.

With the Raiders intent to have competition across the board — which is the prudent thing to do with a new coaching staff and general manager — to identify starters, rotational players, and backups this offseason, Harper has a solid chance to step up and make Carroll and Co. take note.

The 5-foot-10 and 195-pound Tennessee native may be listed as a safety on the Raiders official website, however, his football resume is more than that. In his lone season at Notre Dame in 2023 (after four years at Oklahoma State), Harper seized the slot coverage role and excelled. His ability to hang with wide receivers in the slot was on full display on Oct. 14, 2023 when the Fighting Irish took on the USC Trojans. Harper’s ability to blitz and get to quarterback Caleb Williams was highlighted as was the defensive back’s stickiness in coverage. He was targeted six times that game and allowed four receptions for a total of 44 yards.

In total, Harper’s final season in college culminated in 39 total tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble. His entire collegiate stat sheet reads: 53 games, 132 total tackles, two sacks, 12 tackles for loss, two interceptions, 9 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and two forced fumbles.

Harper was inked as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers and, when he was waived cut down day, then Raiders GM Tom Telesco swooped in and claimed the versatile defender.

While Harper’s overall ball production — namely interceptions — was light coming into the pros, he did notch his first-career NFL interception in the Raiders’ Dec. 29 tilt with the New Orleans Saints (clip above). Displaying keen read and react skills, Harper burst to the ball from his free safety spot for that smooth takeaway. It’s glimpses of brilliance that need to become the norm for Harper as the 24-year-old heads into Year 2 in the league with Las Vegas.

But the opportunities will be there to earn snaps as the Raiders roster and depth chart are unsettled and likely won’t be until preseason games have been played.

Nate Hobbs, who held down the starting slot cornerback role since his arrival as a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is no longer in Silver & Black and signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers as an unrestricted free agent. As of now, the competition for that starting nickel role is a toss up with Harper, veteran Darnay Holmes, and M.J. Devonshire likely going to compete.

At safety, the Raiders saw two former starters leave via free agency in Tre’Von Moehrig (Carolina Panthers) and Marcus Epps (New England Patriots). Las Vegas did re-up Isaiah Pola-Mao and signed Chinn and Johnson. Still, Harper has a shot of making noise at that position group, too.

There’s also special teams, where Tom McMahon is well aware of Harper’s abilities as the defensive back notched 265 snaps for his unit.

Harper, who ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at Notre Dames’ Pro Day, has the requisite athleticism and demeanor (focused in coverage; tenacious run defender and tackler) and will need a strong offseason to make an impression on the new coaching staff. Harper’s game needs refinement (as does any young player) and while his arm length isn’t ideal (29 3/8 inch arms compared to Hobbs’ 31.5 inch measurement), his ability to play multiple positions is enticing.