Oakland Raiders: Go defense heavy in initial seven-round mock draft

Although some of the top cornerbacks (ie: Denzel Ward and Joshua Jackson) are long gone by this point, the Raiders finally get some help in the secondary by adding Stanford’s Quenton Meeks.

At six-foot-one, 195 pounds, the second-team All Pac-12 selection has good size and good speed to with it. Although his numbers over his three years at Stanford haven’t been eye-popping, they’ve been solid. And perhaps, more importantly, they’ve been consistent.

Over the course of his college career, Meeks posted 115 total tackles (78 solo), had seven interceptions (returning two for touchdowns), and had 17 passes defensed.

Meeks is a solid tackler and isn’t afraid to mix it up in run support. He’s rangy, with long arms, and terrific closing speed.

Some scouts are less than enthused with his awareness in coverage and think he sometimes has difficulty locating the ball when running with a receiver. That’s definitely something he’s going to need to work on as he makes the jump to the next level of his career.

With the right coaching – and HC Jon Gruden has assembled a staff long on experience and talent – Meeks could be a very, very sneaky good, under the radar pick. He’s not as heralded as some of the other prospects coming out in the Draft, but he could wind up being a very solid contributor to a defense.

And more than anything, the Raiders need some solid, reliable cover men in their secondary.