Oakland Raiders: How to add cornerback help in the first three rounds

First Round Options: Denzel Ward, Josh Jackson and Isaiah Oliver

If the Oakland Raiders would like to take a cornerback in the first round they are in a great position to do so. Most notably because with the tenth overall pick they are in the running to select cornerback out of Ohio State, Denzel Ward.

Ward is by far the top cornerback prospect in this draft and expected to be a day one starter at an extremely high level. Because of his build and top end technique, Ward has drawn comparisons to Chris Harris Jr. The only difference is Ward has the technique of Harris Jr. combined with the athleticism of Patrick Peterson.

Ward bolsters a 4.32 40-yard dash time, 16 bench press reps, a 39 inch vertical jump and a 136 inch broad jump. These are all numbers that exceed those of Patrick Peterson, who is regarded as one of the most athletic corners in the NFL.

Ward is essentially a sure fire prospect. The only problem is he may not be available when the Raiders pick comes. Due to the amount of quarterbacks that will be selected in the top ten, there is a chance he falls to the Oakland Raiders, but he is certainly not the tenth best player in the draft. It would be no surprise is any team from four to nine took Ward.

If this were to happen and Ward were to be selected before the team has a chance to take him, the Raiders could set their sights on Iowa’s Josh Jackson or Colorado’s Isaiah Oliver.

If the team were to show interest in either of these two players it would open up the opportunity for the team to trade down a few spots if given the opportunity. Sure the team could take either of these players at ten, but they could also get either of them in the mid teens and acquire additional draft picks.

Jackson and Oliver are similar players, both of which are very different from the aforementioned Denzel Ward. Both stand 6’1″ and run a 5.4 40-yard dash time. Both are expected to be high level press-man corners that will likely take a year or so of development to reach their peaks.

Of all three players, Isaiah Oliver is the best fit on the team. Ward is more suited to play inside to start his career and the Oakland Raiders need someone to play the outside. When it comes to deciding between Jackson and Oliver, Jackson’s lack of experience was the deciding factor, as he only had one breakout season before declaring for the draft.

In reality, any of these players would greatly improve the Oakland Raiders defense in 2018.