With their second first-round pick of the night, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette with the 19th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
After taking Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III with the No. 12 overall pick, the Raiders opted to shore up their secondary with the selection of Arnette.
The pick comes as a surprise because the defensive back was projected to go in the second or third round, but Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have not been shy about taking players they like earlier than most people expect.
Regardless, Arnette is a solid corner with his ability to line up both inside and outside and play in either man or zone coverage. In his last three seasons at Ohio State, he recorded four interceptions and 22 passes defensed.
Arnette joins a young Las Vegas secondary in Trayvon Mullen and Johnathan Abram and will be tasked with rejuvenating a defensive unit that struggled against the pass during the 2019 NFL season. His versatility allows the Raiders to move him around in the backfield and hopefully limit opposing offenses when the 2020 NFL season kicks off.
While Arnette does fill a need for the Silver and Black, it is fair to wonder whether or not they would have been better off trading down in the draft and adding extra picks. Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson were widely viewed as the top two corner prospects in the draft, so it stands to reason that Arnette would have been available outside of the first round.
Either way, it is hard to complain if you are a Raiders fan as the team filled two pressing voids on the roster and look in much better shape heading into the new year. However, there is still much work to do as Las Vegas will be busy on Day 2 with their three third-round selections.
