Oakland Raiders: Post-free agency four-round mock draft

Despite having Conley and now Melvin and Wright atop the cornerback depth chart (and oh yeah, Dexter McDonald and Antonio Hamilton are still there too), in round two, the Raiders are going to be looking to add another potential playmaker to beef up their secondary.

Wright and Melvin are both on one-year deals, although with Melvin, it feels like more of a “prove it” type contract, with a bigger deal waiting in the wings should he perform. With Wright though, you know it’s a stopgap measure and that once the Raiders have somebody capable of taking over the role, they’ll move on.

Related Story: Raiders Finish Confounding Day On A High Note

Enter Mike Hughes.

Though not the biggest (five-foot-ten, 190 pounds) or the fastest (4.53 speed in the 40), Hughes has created quite a buzz around himself, and has been climbing up draft boards, with his solid play. WalterFootball.com currently has him ranked as the third best corner of the draft class, behind only Ohio State’s Denzel Ward, and Iowa’s Joshua Jackson.

Hughes has got terrific cover skills, instincts, and is dangerous around the ball. His movements are fluid and he does a good job of staying on the route with the receiver, always putting himself in a position to make a play on the ball.

His final season at the University of Central Florida saw Hughes notch 49 total tackles, force a fumble, have 11 passes defensed, and four interceptions, in helping lead his team to an undefeated season, conference championship, and a bowl game victory.

He could be a solid contributor on both the outside, or in the slot. He would add some depth and explosiveness to Oakland’s secondary and could eventually – depending on how things work out with Melvin – could be starting opposite Conley in the not too distant future.