Oakland Raiders: Ranking Team’s Biggest Needs Heading Into The Draft

Not The Biggest Need, But One That Should Be Addressed

With the departure – thankfully – of noted penalty machine D.J. Hayden, Oakland’s cornerbacks group is a little thin at the moment. T.J. Carrie is penciled in as the slot corner, while Sean Smith and David Amerson are manning the outside corner spots.

Given the presence of John Pagano, we can expect to see some tweaks to Ken Norton‘s defense. Which, to put it bluntly, is a good thing. A very good thing. And with those tweaks, we can expect (hope) to see an improvement in Amerson and Smith’s play over the 2016 season.

But one area the Raiders could use some improvement in is slot corner play. Hayden was – well – Hayden. He drew more flags than he made plays, and Carrie has had some consistency issues of his own.

Given all that – and a need for some depth – the Raiders may want to look at picking up a corner in the Draft. Which makes it a good thing for them that this year’s Draft class is deep at the position.

Since it’s not the most pressing need on the roster, it would be surprising if McKenzie used anything higher than a third round pick on a corner.

If that were to be the case, Florida’s Jalen Tabor might be a solid mid-round pick. He has the size (6′, 199 pounds) that McKenzie covets in his cornerbacks, and according to scouts, has fantastic instincts and ball skills to match. He may be best suited to play a nickel role as scouts also note that he has trouble with deep speed.

But he could very well be an upgrade in the slot and may be worth a mid-round investment.

Fabian Moreau (6′, 206 pounds, 4.35 40) out of UCLA or Ahkello Witherspoon (6’3”, 198 4.45 40) could also be solid value pick ups who could also help improve the slot corner position.