It seems like every year the Raiders head into the draft with a need at the cornerback position. This year is no exception. While they had Nate Hobbs locking down the slot, the boundaries were a revolving door of cornerbacks that is still not settled.
From the looks of things, Jack Jones is the answer on one side, but the other side is very much in need of an influx of talent. The team flat out ignored the position in free agency, leaving them in the same situation today.
Though it’s hard to really blame them for being skeptical that free agency would solve anything. Last year, they signed two cornerbacks early in free agency (David Long Jr and Duke Shelley) and then Marcus Peters just before camp and none of them were on the team by the end of last season.
They also drafted Jakorian Bennett in the fourth round and he was benched after four starts. So, now they must take another shot at it and you would figure that would happen by the end of day two. Perhaps more than once.
Round 1 – Terrion Arnold, Alabama
The best cornerback in this class. And one of the cleanest players in the draft. He’s a fierce competitor, immensely talented, and very intelligent. He went from Freshman All-American in 2022, to first team All-American last season with five interceptions and 17 pass breakups. His 4.50 40 is not spectacular, but not terrible either.
Round 2 – Mike Sainristil, Michigan
A wide receiver his first three seasons in Ann Arbor, he became a full time starting cornerback as a Senior. As a Super Senior Sainristil exploded, putting up team bests in interceptions (six) and pass breakups (12). Two of those interceptions were also house calls. This earned him First Team All-American honors.
Round 3 – Max Melton, Rutgers
Melton started 40 games for the Scarlet Knights over the past four seasons. He’s been playing at a high level for three of those seasons, putting up a combined eight interceptions and 30 pass breakups over that time. He’s got speed to burn as well, posting a 4.39 40 at the combine.
Round 4 – Renardo Green, Florida State
While picking off passes has not been his forte (just one interception in 32 starts), he stepped up last season, putting up a conference-leading 14 pass breakups to be named Second Team All-ACC.
Round 5 - Khyree Jackson, Oregon
Jackson took a long road to get where he is now. He played basketball, football, and track as a freshman, but moving around schools had him forego football as a sophomore. Then a broken collarbone cost him his junior year of football, so it wasn’t until his senior year that he was able to really play. He wasn’t recruited out of high school and was out of of football for two years before he got an offer to play for a local junior college. He became a two-way player and was given a four-star rating as a cornerback. That led to an offer to go to Alabama, where his first ever start came in the National Championship game. However after two seasons with two starts and a two-game suspension, he transferred to Oregon. That’s where he finally broke out with a team-leading three interceptions and 10 pass breakups. Unfortunately, after his long road to get here, he will turn 25 before the start of next season.
