It’s been an up-and-down rookie season for Damon Arnette. He’s had some really strong moments, but it’s been more bad than good for most of the year.
The No. 19 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft hasn’t quite performed as well as Raiders’ fans hoped and he is coming off the worst game of his career in Week 12 as he allowed over 100 yards in coverage.
But there are some reasons for optimism surrounding Arnette. He’s shown that he can make plays on the outside and his slow 40-yard dash hasn’t hampered him at all.
In a recent article by Chris Roling of Bleacher Report, he named a handful of former first-round picks that have the most “untapped potential” entering the 2021 season. Arnette made the list and here is a snippet of what Roling had to say:
“Arnette was the lesser Buckeyes cornerback prospect compared to college teammate and third overall pick Jeff Okudah. Arnette has had a muted stint in the pros, too, appearing in just five games and drumming up a 49.6 grade at Pro Football Focus.
But in Week 3, he aggravated a thumb injury and required surgery. He returned Nov. 15, playing 60 percent or more of Vegas’ defensive snaps in Weeks 10 and 11, a starter’s workload.
A few factors suggest Arnette could break out as he gets his feet under him in 2021. He ranked as the third-highest-graded corner in single coverage among the 2020 draft class at PFF. He also has a strong forced-incompletions rate among first-round corners this year.”
The Raiders will continue to start Arnette over their final six games and they should tell us a lot about the former Ohio State cornerback. He could have another big challenge on his hands this week as the team is set to face Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. Keep an eye on Arnette’s play as that is usually a tell-tale sign if the Raiders will perform well on defense or not.
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