ALAMEDA, Calif. _ The Raiders took a calculated risk Thursday night by selecting Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley with the 24th pick in the NFL draft.
With Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster still on the board and sliding amid concerns over an injured shoulder, the Raiders instead took a player in Conley who is dealing with a rape allegation stemming from an incident earlier this month at a Cleveland hotel.
Conley recently released a statement through his attorney claiming the accusations were "completely false" and he has yet to be charged with a crime. He's expected to be interviewed by police following the draft.
As a football player, Conley is a 6-feet, 195-pound cornerback with long arms who allowed a completion rate of just 37 percent at Ohio State. He ran a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.
Conley could conceivably step right in as the Raiders' nickel cornerback behind Sean Smith and David Amerson, or push for a starting job ahead of one of the veterans. Both Smith and Amerson signed lucrative deals last offseason, but their guaranteed money expires after this season.
For the Raiders to make this pick, they had to be comfortable that Conley's situation will be resolved and he will be exonerated. According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapaport, Conley took and passed a polygraph test on Thursday administered on behalf of a team other than the Raiders that was considering selecting him.
