Draft grades for the Raiders 1st round picks

RaidersWire grades the Las Vegas two first-round picks and one was a shocker.

After a long offseason and much anticipation, the Las Vegas Raiders draft is here. With the two picks, they Raiders for sure addressed their needs at wide receiver and cornerback.

With that said, let’s go ahead and drop these early grades of the first-round draft picks.

Pick No. 12 – Henry Ruggs WR, Alabama

Grade: A

The Raiders wanting wide receiver help was known to almost every draft pundit on the planet. The Raiders made sure to reward them by taking the first wideout off the board. That player ended up being the explosive Henry Ruggs out of Alabama.

Ruggs has been compared to Tyreek Hill, but he is more than just a deep threat. Ruggs can run a good amount of the route tree with great hands to secure catches from Derek Carr. His YAC ability is underrated and can take any catch to the house with his mind-blowing speed.

It will be interesting how the Raiders plan to use him. Nick Saban didn’t make him a go route specialist, and we shouldn’t expect Jon Gruden to do the same. There is no doubt though that Ruggs is a considerable upgrade for the Raiders and has a chance to be a superstar in the NFL.

Pick No. 19 –  Damon Arnette CB, Ohio State

Grade: B

What is a Raiders draft without a little craziness? The Raiders shocked everyone again, but this time it was for a cornerback. The Raiders selected Damon Arnette from Ohio State to help out the secondary.

Was this a reach? Probably but Damon Arnette has some of the best tape you will see from any of the corners in this draft. According to PFF.com, he allowed a completion percentage of 44% to every ball thrown his way with a passer rating of 60.9. He is a press corner the Raiders like but didn’t have the speed you want from a first-round corner.

However, if Arnette plays like he did in college, he will crush all his skeptics who do think this a reach. He is an excellent fit for the system the Raiders run, but he still feels like a reach on a player who could have been available on Day 2.

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