The Raiders hope they have addressed another one of their needs as they selected Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette with the 19th overall pick in Thursday's NFL Draft.
Arnette feels he is a versatile defensive back, saying at the NFL scouting combine that if the team that selects him needs "Ime to play safety, I feel like I have the ability to play safety. If they need me to play nickel, I can play nickel. Special teams, I feel like I can do all of that."
The Raiders have been searching for a elite shutdown corner for over a decade. Since Nnamdi Asoumgha made the Pro Bowl in 2009, and subsequently left via free agency the following year, the Raiders have had 33 other starters at cornerback.
Cornerbacks already on the Raiders roster include Trayvon Mullen, a fellow Clemson alum, Nevin Lawson, Isaiah Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner and Keisean Nixon.
"We feel like we've got a bunch of talented kids that we don't know enough about yet," Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said recently about the team's depth at cornerback.
"Do we need to get better there? Yeah. but you always have to be careful to see how the board will fall. I think the biggest mistakes people make is trying to reach for need. If' we're fortunate enough to get another corner, that'd be great."
Earlier Thursday night, the Raiders selected Henry Ruggs III at No. 12 overall.
