Las Vegas Raiders: In-depth scouting report of 1st-round pick Damon Arnette
By Nico Di Fede
The Basics
Damon Arnette stands 6-feet tall and weighs in at 195 pounds. He hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was a three-star recruit coming out of the prestigious St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
A fifth-year senior, Arnette has a lot of high-level experience. He saw action in all four of his eligible seasons, earning a starting job in his sophomore season. That season he recorded highs in tackles (44), tackles for a loss (3), and interceptions (2).
The following year, Arnette did not improve as much as you would hope for a fourth-year junior who had been starting on an extremely talented secondary for a year already.
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Arnette recognized this and admitted he was more focused on having fun off the field than he was on trying to become a better player on it.
He was planning on leaving Ohio State for the draft following his junior season, but Hall of Fame receiver Chris Carter convinced him to stay another year as he was not yet the player he was capable of being.
Carter was right, as Arnette had his best season at Ohio State in 2019.
He finished the year with 35 tackles, a pick-six, eight deflections, and a forced fumble while giving up only one touchdown on the season. That is despite playing opposite of the No. 1 defensive back in the country, Jeff Okudah, meaning that Arnette was the guy quarterbacks would try to pick on.