The Las Vegas Raiders had a very clear idea of what they wanted to add to their roster heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. The team filled some big positional holes, but also sought out athletic multi-positional players.
One of those multi-positional players was Amik Robertson, who was selected in the fourth round. Robertson played three years at Louisiana Tech as an outside cornerback but feels that he can play a number of positions.
According to Scott Blair of NBC Sports Bay Area, Robertson wants to prove to Raiders fans that he was the right choice:
“I want to prove that Raider Nation didn’t make a mistake,” Robertson said. “They got the best DB in this class. Ballhawk, corner, nickel, safety, whatever — the best hybrid in the class that can force turnovers and get ball back to the offense.”
The Raiders drafted a number of hybrid players, but Robertson’s versatility on the defense will be highly valued by the team. Last year, Lamarcus Joyner played a similar role, moving across multiple positions like safety and slot cornerback. The Raiders also drafted Tanner Muse, who played as a college safety but the Raiders hope to move him to linebacker.
In his final year at Louisiana Tech, Robertson put up 40 solo tackles and five interceptions, averaging a whopping 19.4 yards per interception return. His fantastic production comes from a player who is listed at just 5’8″ but says that he can still guard bigger receivers.
Possibly due to his height, Robertson feels he fell in the draft but reiterated that the Raiders did not make a mistake:
“I saw a lot of teams pass up on me. I was getting discouraged,” Robertson said. “[Raiders safety Johnathan] Abram and I have great relationship. I figured they needed a guy that can force turnovers, help Abram on the back end. It was a surprise, but I’m relieved that they believed in me and I told them that they’re not making a mistake.”
Certainly already having a relationship with his fellow defensive teammate Johnathan Abram will help to ease Robertson’s transition to the NFL. If Robertson can truly do it all, the Raiders should once again have a fun rookie class. With each player having a number of different tools to help their game, the Raiders 2020 season should be an improvement to 2019 whe they finish 7-9 and missed the postseason.
