Through the first several months of the 2020 draft season, experts have routinely mocked a wide receiver at pick No. 12 to the Raiders. And that made sense, given the team’s need at the position and the talent that will likely be available at that spot.
However, over the last week, a new name has emerged as a possible pick, and he doesn’t play receiver.
Florida cornerback CJ Henderson is gaining a lot of steam in the 2020 draft class as he is the clear No. 2 cornerback behind only Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah. With the wide receiver talent in this class being so deep, the Raiders could opt to wait until pick No. 19 to address their wide receiver need.
In a recent mock draft by Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, he gave the Raiders Henderson at pick No. 12 and then selected LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson later in the first round. Take a look at Prisco’s explanation for the pick below:
They added Eli Apple in free agency, but is he really the long-term answer? Henderson can flat out cover.
Apple isn’t a long-term solution for the Raiders, but he can help get them by in 2020. But Henderson would be a perfect solution opposite of Trayvon Mullen as the two have outstanding man-to-man coverage ability.
While it will undoubtedly be tough to pass on the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy at No. 12, getting one of the best defenders in the class at a position of need would make a lot of sense for the Raiders. Don’t rule out the possibility of the Raiders drafting a cornerback, specifically Henderson, at pick No. 12.
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