Raiders sign a trio of 2020 NFL Draft picks including Damon Arnette

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed a trio of 2020 NFL Draft picks including Damon Arnette.

The Las Vegas Raiders, much like the rest of the NFL, have been very slow to sign their 2020 NFL Draft picks. But on Saturday, they did their best to make up for lost time.

The Raiders entered the day with only one of their seven draft picks under contract despite the fact that rookies had already arrived for training camp earlier in the week. That player was first-round pick Henry Ruggs who signed his deal on Tuesday.

And on Saturday, they reached an agreement with their second of two first-round picks as well as a couple of other selections.

First-round cornerback Damon Arnette has officially signed his rookie contract along with third-round linebacker Tanner Muse and fourth-round cornerback Amik Robertson.

With rookies already reported to camp, the Raiders are doing their best to get everyone under contract. The difficulties posed by COVID-19 have proven challenging to many teams this offseason — the Raiders certainly aren’t alone.

Acquiring physicals has been a difficult process and it’s been difficult to get rookies to sign contracts virtually as opposed to meeting in person. But with rookies now in attendance for training camp, the contracts are expectedly pouring in in bulk.

The Raiders still have three members of their 2020 NFL Draft class who remain unsigned at the time of writing — third-round running back/receiver Lynn Bowden, third-round receiver Bryan Edwards, and fourth-round offensive guard John Simpson.

The Raiders will be hoping for big things from their three recently-signed defensive players.

As for Arnette, Muse, and Robertson, the Raiders will be expecting varied levels of contributions from them this year.

Arnette should immediately compete for a starting cornerback job opposite 2019 second-round pick Trayvon Mullen. The Raiders hope that Arnette and Mullen will man the cornerback position for years to come.

As for Muse, the converted safety will be a part of the team’s new-look linebacker corps alongside free-agent signings Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. Expect Muse to compete for time as the team’s third linebacker in the base 4-3.

Robertson, on the other hand, will be groomed as the hopeful slot cornerback of the future. The first young defensive back will start the year behind Lamarcus Joyner on the depth chart, but don’t be surprised if he’s the starting slot as soon as next year.

The Raiders still have time to sign the remainder of their rookies and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more inked to new contracts in the next day or so.

*Update: Bryan Edwards has also reportedly signed his rookie contract*