Jon Gruden says he sees Aqib Talib qualities in Raiders first-round CB Damon Arnette

Jon Gruden says he sees Aqib Talib qualities in Raiders first-round CB Damon Arnette

Last week, the Raiders shocked the world by making Ohio State’s Damon Arnette their pick at No. 19 overall in the first round of the draft. Everyone was left to wonder what it was Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock saw in Arnette that had him rated so much higher than the rest of the NFL world.

Jon Gruden didn’t speak following any of the rounds of the draft, which is unusual. Mayock held the media conference call each day instead. He was holding back his input apparently for the Raiders in-house media. That’s where we finally got a glimpse as to why Gruden thought Arnette was his guy.

This was the first time Gruden had used a first-round pick on a cornerback in some time. The last cornerback on whom Gruden spent a first-round pick? Aqib Talib at 20th overall in 2008. And that’s who Gruden said he sees in Arnette that made him worthy of the 19th overall pick.

“He played last year hurt with a broken right wrist, I think he’s the best tackler in this draft,” Gruden said of Arnette. “I think he’s an old school, bump-and-run Raider cornerback that’s physical and nasty. He reminds me a lot — I’m not going to guarantee this — but he reminds me a lot of Aqib Talib, a guy that we drafted in Tampa several years ago. He’s a guy that has great confidence in himself, he comes from a big arena at Ohio State, and the bigger the game the better he played.”

Talib had a rocky tenure with the Bucs to start his career. He never made a Pro Bowl for them and was suspended four games in 2012 for a PED violation. But he would go on to make five straight Pro Bowls from 2013-17 with the Patriots (2013) and Broncos (2014-17). He’s also is a well-documented dirty player who has multiple fines and suspensions for on-field conduct.

As it happens, the biggest problem most scouts had with Arnette was with regard to his character. Arnette returned to Ohio State to try and improve his image and all indications are that he’s put those behind him and matured. Gruden thinks he has and, just like Talib, saw Arnette’s value solely for his play on the field.

[vertical-gallery id=66709]

[lawrence-newsletter]