***TRADE: Raiders receive picks 27 and 59. Seahawks receive picks 19 and 159.***
Round 1, pick No. 27 – Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
Honestly, they could have taken Fulton at 19 and it wouldn’t have been a bad selection. But they needed a pick in the second round and trading down in the first to pick is the right move because there is a cluster of good corners in this range. Fulton is a great get at this spot.
He raised the National Championship trophy to end his final season of college ball just like the cornerback the Raiders picked at 40 overall last season. That worked out well.
Also just like Trayvon Mullen, Fulton had just one interception and didn’t have great numbers overall in his final college season, but it was because opposing offenses often stayed away from him. Or they did if they were smart. Fulton and Mullen both held opposing quarterbacks to passer ratings in the low 70s. They both even had identical 4.46 40-yard-dash times.
Fulton still put up 25 pass breakups and two interceptions in 25 starts over the past two seasons and led college football with 20 forced incompletions.
He isn’t overly aggressive, he’s sticky and therefore he excels in press-man coverage. You like what he brings to the table whether it’s at 19 or in the trade down scenario as I have here. Fulton would figure to be an instant starter at cornerback.
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