You know it’s the start of draft season when Mel Kiper Jr. releases his first mock draft of the year. He did that on Tuesday and gave the Raiders a very interesting player at No. 13.
Kiper mocked Alabama CB Terrion Arnold to the Raiders at No. 13 with the idea that the Raiders need to find their No. 1 cornerback to pair with Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones. Here is a snippet of why Kiper believes this fit would make a lot of sense:
Ultimately, this might be Las Vegas’ best chance to get a true No. 1 cover corner, though, as Arnold took his game to another level in 2023.
He picked off five passes and had 12 total breakups as quarterbacks completed just 37.9% of their passes when he was the nearest defender in coverage. He can shut down one side of the field for a defense that improved down the stretch but still has a ways to go to compete in a tough AFC West.
Arnold was the second cornerback to come off the board in this mock with Nate Wiggins (Clemson) going just a few picks higher. Cornerback is one of the more pressing needs for Las Vegas and grabbing one in Round 1 does make some sense.
The bigger question will be if the Raiders decide to chase a franchise quarterback with this pick. But if they don’t, expect Arnold to be one of a few players they consider with pick No. 13.
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