Isaiah Pola-Mao Entering Third Season With Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao is entering his third season as an NFL safety.

Oct 22, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Tyler Scott (13) runs with the / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders have a young group of defensive backs mixed with players who have already become full-time contributors for the Silver and Black and others still looking to prove themselves.

One defensive back in the Raiders' locker room who has somewhat been on the bubble is safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, an undrafted free agent from the University of Southern California who signed with the club in 2022.

Pola-Mao played in 16 games with the Raiders last year and finished with 20 tackles, 14 solo tackles, one sack and one interception.

In two seasons as a safety for the Raiders, Pola-Mao has 40 total tackles, 28 solo tackles, three quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

His best game from last season came in Week 18 when he finished with three solo tackles and one sack in the Raiders' 27-14 win over the Denver Broncos.

Pro Football Focus gave Polo-Mao a 55.4 overall defensive grade for his 2023 season.
On the April 7 edition of "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast," our Hondo Carpenter Sr. broke down the entire defensive back room, including Polo-Mao.

"He has the ability; he's got it," Carpenter said. "I believe in him immensely, and I just like his talent. I love his balance. If you watched his feet, I think one of the things that sets out to me to him is you rarely find his feet in a bad spot." Why is that important for safety? Because if your feet are out of order, you can't plant the foot and go and make a big cut.

"Pola-Mao has good technique. It's all about confidence; you got to get the confidence, look at things, and trust your judgment. I think sometimes Isaiah Polo-Mao doesn't trust his instincts enough. He's got to learn to trust his instincts, and if he does, I think that kid can be really good."

It will be very interesting to see how Polo-Mao competes in the Raiders' defensive back room this offseason as he enters his third season as a safety in the NFL.

You can watch the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast" episode from April 7 here.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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