Raiders' Del Rio purposely assigned Ronnie Lott's No. 42 to Karl Joseph
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has set the bar high for his 2016 first-round pick.
Safety Karl Joseph was taken 14th overall out of West Virginia by the Raiders and is expected to start next season.
According to Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com, Del Rio personally assigned jersey No. 42 to Joseph to purposely replicate the look of Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott.
Lott played two seasons for the Los Angles Raiders in 1991 and 1992, after spending 10 years with the San Francisco 49ers. He made his 10th career Pro Bowl in his first season with the silver and black, won four Super Bowls, and is currently ranked eighth all time in career interceptions.
Joseph previously received praise from another former Raider great and current assistant defensive backs coach Rod Woodson, who said Joseph is "more instinctive" than Seattle Seahawks star safety Kam Chancellor.
Clearly, the Raiders have high expectations for this rookie.