Over the offseason, the Raiders identified the cornerback as a position the team needed to address via free agency and the draft. That is why the team went out and signed slot cornerback Lamarcus Joyner and drafted two players in Trayvon Mullen and Isaiah Johnson.
However, the best cornerback on the roster during the preseason hasn’t been Joyner, Mullen or Johnson. Instead, it’s been undrafted free agent Keisean Nixon from South Carolina who stole the spotlight.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, Nixon was named one of the best rookies in the preseason, grading above all of the other rookies in the Raiders’ draft class. Take a look at PFF’s thoughts on Nixon from the four-game preseason slate:
Nixon got picked on in coverage during his three preseason outings and was targeted on 15 of his 90 coverage snaps. Nixon, however, won that battle by allowing just five catches and a 42.4 passer rating.
Nixon made the team’s 53-man roster, and it appears he has a real chance at playing an important role given Isaiah Johnson’s injury and Nevin Lawson’s suspension. Nixon has a chance to be one of the biggest undrafted steals of the year.
