Las Vegas Raiders: Grade and analysis of 4th-round pick Amik Robertson
By Allen Settle
The Las Vegas Raiders selected Louisiana Tech cornerback Amik Robertson in the fourth round on Saturday. We give a brief analysis and initial grade for the draft pick.
The Las Vegas Raiders continued their secondary overhaul in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The team added Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette in the first round while getting good value by landing Clemson safety Tanner Muse in the third round.
The trend continued into Round 4 as the Raiders selected Louisiana Tech corner Amik Robertson. While Robertson comes from a relatively small school, he could be a huge value to the revamped defensive backfield.
Here’s how each detail of the pick grades.
The Need: B+
The team may have already added some much-needed help in the secondary, but the Robertson pick was too good to pass up. In an NFL that is most based on historic aerial attacks than ever before, it’s clear that one can never have too many good pass defenders.
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Las Vegas ranked 14th in the league in pass yards allowed per game. Adding Robertson to the trio of new Raiders defenders should allow the team to jump into the top-10 in the league.
The Value: A+
I’m still in shock that Robertson was available with the 139th pick. ESPN ranked as the ninth-best cornerback and 68th best overall player in the draft.
For the sake of context, the team’s first-round pick, Arnette, was rated as the seventh-best cornerback and 58th best prospect. This means they were able to land a slightly depreciated player over 100 picks later.
He had legitimate first-round talent and is a tremendous pickup for Las Vegas so late in the draft. He should contend for a major role on the defense immediately.
The Talent: B+
As evident by his high ranking, Robertson has an impressive skill set. While his 5-foot-9, 172-pound frame may make it difficult to contain larger receivers, he is still a dangerous player.
When you watch him play, he shows no sign that he realizes his small stature. He is always ready to do whatever it takes to keep his man from making the catch.
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Robertson is fearless in his pursuit of the ball and has the grace and appearance of a receiver when the ball is in the air. In fact, he had 14 interceptions and 34 pass deflections in his college career to prove it.
Overall Grade: A+
To be fair, the Raiders can only be credited so much for this pick. Sometimes finding a diamond in the rough is dependent on other teams passing up a good player. Teams clearly allowed Amik Robertson’s small stature and small-school college experience to scare them away.
However, when Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock were presented the opportunity to capitalize on the rest of the league’s mistake. And they took advantage.
I would have argued they would have been wise to secure the standout corner with any of their third-round selections. However, the fact that they were able to land him at this spot only further increases his value.
dark. Next. 2020 NFL Draft: Comparing the Raiders and 49ers’ first-round hauls
I cannot overestimate the advantages of this pick. Over the course of the next decade, it may very well prove to be the steal of the entire draft.