With their Week 12 win on Sunday, the Raiders are no longer projected to pick inside of the top three. In fact, they wouldn’t even be picking inside the top eight if the season ended today.
However, the 2023 NFL Draft is going to be an important one for the Raiders as they need to drastically improve their defense before they become a legit contender. So who might they target inside the top-12 picks?
In a recent article by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, he released his first mock draft of the year and had the Raiders picking at No. 9. With that selection, they picked cornerback Christian Gonzalez from Oregon. Here is what Brugler had to say about that possible selection:
“The Raiders need playmakers on defense, and Christian Gonzalez is a long, athletic cover man with the talent to grow into a team’s top corner. Though he has the physical traits, one of the main questions for Gonzalez’s evaluation heading into the season was: Can he do a better job making plays on the football?
The Colorado transfer leads the Ducks with 11 passes defended and four interceptions, which both rank top three in the Pac-12.”
The Raiders will be getting Nate Hobbs back at some point this season, but they desperately need to add some cornerback help around him. Gonzalez projects as an outside cornerback and that would allow Hobbs to move back into the slot, if needed.
Look for the Raiders to address their secondary woes early and often during the 2023 NFL Draft. And keep an eye on Gonzalez, as well as Keele Ringo (Georgia) and Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State) as possible options in Round 1.
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