Outside of wide receiver, there isn’t a more significant need for the Raiders than at cornerback. In fact, you can even make an argument that cornerback is a bigger need for the team as the Raiders have more options currently at the receiver position than they do in the secondary.
The team brings back Trayvon Mullen, but he is just a second-year player who could use some help. Fourth-round pick Isaiah Johnson will be in the conversation, but he is still learning the position after converting from receiver not too long ago.
The expectation is that the Raiders will use on of their two first-round picks to address their cornerback need. However, there is a decent chance that two cornerbacks are picked before their first selection, which could force their hand into picking a receiver first. But one possibility that hasn’t been discussed enough is the Raiders moving up for Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah.
For most of the draft process, it was assumed that Jeffrey Okudah would be the Lions pick at No. 3. But over the last few weeks, the odds of Okudah being the No. 3 pick has dropped significantly. On BetMGM, Okudah’s draft position is set at 4.5. It’s also worth noting that his odds to be the No. 3 pick sit at +125, which is a steep drop from what they were a few weeks ago.
That is significant because if Okudah isn’t drafted with the No. 3 pick, it’s not hard to see him falling to pick No. 6 or No. 7 or even further. And if you believe Peter King of NBC Sports, he bets that nearly 40 percent of teams have Florida cornerback CJ Henderson ranked ahead of Okudah.
If Okudah were to fall outside of the top-five selections, then a trade-up for the Raiders to acquire him becomes much more realistic. For instance, the Raiders could trade picks No. 80 and No. 81 to move up to pick No. 7 or No. 8 fairly easily. For a cornerback that is widely viewed as a “can’t-miss” prospect, that’s not that steep of a price to pay.
If the Raiders were to complete a trade like this, they would still have the No. 19 selection available to address their wide receiver need. The thought of pairing Okudah with Trayvon Mullen has to be enticing for Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden.
Be sure to monitor where Okudah falls in this draft. And if the Lions pass on him at No. 3, don’t be surprised if the Raiders start calling teams ahead of them as they could look to acquire the All-American cornerback.
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