Tag: Damon Arnette News

Damon Arnette returns healthy, stronger and confident after ‘new types of adversity’ as a rookie

Damon Arnette returns healthy, stronger and confident after ‘new types of adversity’ as a rookie

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Very little went right for Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette in 2020, his rookie campaign. He only played nine games after injuries to his wrist and head, and he had a case of Covid-19. When Arnette was on the field, his play was suspect at best.

Such a season can certainly damage a player’s confidence. For a cornerback, it could be devastating, since they thrive on that emotion. In today’s NFL, it’s a near certainty they’ll lose ample snaps to wide receivers, even with the best corners. But you’ve got to maintain some swagger through it all.

In a great sign for Las Vegas, Arnette displayed confidence in talking with the media on Thursday. His new physique clearly helps; he’s bulked up after his weight dropped during his rookie season, due to a cast on his wrist that hindered his weightlifting. Upon a mention from reporters, he flexed on them.

Arnette said he weighted 175 pounds at most last season. Now, he’s likely around his listed playing weight of 195.

Here’s more of what Arnette told reporters about his attitude as he approaches his sophomore season with Las Vegas, including good news about his health.

“I feel a lot more comfortable. I’m healthy,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about a cast. The team, we’re closer than we were last year. Just another year under our belt. Overall, on all angles, I’m confident and more comfortable.”

Arnette added that he definitely never had a year like 2020.

“It was a lot of new types of adversity. First-time adversities that I had trouble getting through, but I got through. Year two is going to be an exciting one,” he said.

That Arnette is still optimistic is a credit to his character. His rookie season was fairly ugly, and now he’s out of the starting lineup in favor of veteran CB Casey Hayward Jr.  Additionally, new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley uses a scheme that favors cornerbacks with a different physical profile than Arnette. (Bradley’s zone coverage values defenders with long arms, and Arnette’s arms are rather short.)

Arnette is learning from Hayward though, and he credited his coaches, family and friends for helping him through his rough rookie season. As a former first-round pick, much is expected of Arnette. But right now, it’s simply important that he hangs in there and doesn’t give up. It appears he’s done that and is ready for more.

Raiders GM Mike Mayock: CB Damon Arnette ‘Has a chance to be special’

The Raiders had a huge need at cornerback and addressed it in the draft with Ohio State product, Damon Arnette.

When Raiders general manager Mike Mayock struck out in the free-agent cornerback market, he went to plan “B.”

That plan was to remedy the position via the NFL draft, and it’s personified by cornerback Damon Arnette.

Las Vegas also brought veteran CB Prince Amukamara into training camp to compete for a starting job, just to be safe, but Arnette grabbed ahold of the position and never let go. Amukamara was released, and the gig belongs to the rookie, drafted in the first round out of Ohio State.

Arnette clearly had an impressive camp. According to Mayock, Arnette is as skilled as the Raiders’ brass had hoped.

“Damon was exactly what we thought he would be off tape, which was first of all, tough and competitive. We thought he was one of the toughest and most competitive corners in this draft, and he was that, and he will be that,” Mayock told reporters on Sunday. “He’s quick, he’s fast, he finds the ball in the air. And as he learns how to be a pro and consistently detail every step along the way, he has a chance to be special. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s got a chance.” 

That is high praise from Mayock, which bodes well for Arnette. It must be noted that there was no preseason this year, so unfortunately the young CB has seen no live-action.

But being tough and competitive seems to be a prerequisite for being a Raider in the regime of Mayock and coach Jon Gruden. Arnette has that in spades, according to Mayock, and that, along with his physical skills, gives him a chance to be special in Las Vegas.

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Raiders TE Darren Waller impressed with ‘fearless’ rookie CB Damon Arnette

The Raiders used a first-round draft pick in a dire area of need, and so far, TE Darren Waller likes what he sees from CB Damon Arnette.

The Raiders’ offense generates a lot of conversation, with coach Jon Gruden, quarterback Derek Carr and the unit’s young playmakers leading the way.

But it’s clear that if Las Vegas is to improve on its 2019 campaign, the defense must improve mightily. And the Raiders are depending on youth on that side of the ball, as well.

Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock selected cornerback Damon Arnette in the first round of the 2020 draft, causing some pundits to claim the Raiders received poor value from the pick. Arnette was too slow, and he wasn’t even the No. 1 CB at his alma mater, Ohio State, in 2019.

Gruden and Mayock cited Arnette’s toughness and willingness to tackle, and they also claimed he was faster than his 4.56-second time in the 40-yard dash.

The returns are early, but at least one prominent Raider agrees. Tight end Darren Waller was impressed with Arnette’s speed and attitude after team exercises at training camp on Friday, along with the overall speed of the defense.

“Yeah, without a doubt they look faster,” Waller said during his post-practice media session. “We had guys up there, I mean Damon Arnette is fearless on the outside as far as press coverage. He’ll line up against anybody.”

Waller also mentioned that second-year CB, Trayvon Mullen, carries that same confidence and athleticism.

The Raiders’ young cornerbacks have to hold up against the opposition for the 2020 season to be a productive one. Gruden already has an idea of what Mullen can do, but they’ve yet to see Arnette in a padded practice. So far, so good, however, judging from Waller’s comments.

Arnette’s attitude should help him realized his potential, and the Raiders’ brass has a lot riding on his selection. As the second of two first-round picks received in Khalil Mack trade, he’s a vital piece, at a vital position. If he can earn a starting spot this season, it will mean a lot to a rebuilding defense trying to find its way.

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Report: Raiders CB Damon Arnette was hampered by injury at NFL Combine

The Raiders raised eyebrows in selecting CB Damon Arnette in the first round of the NFL draft, but more information has come to light.

Though the Raiders made it obvious that team speed is a factor with their first selection of the 2020 NFL draft, speed-burning wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, the team’s other first-round pick, cornerback Damon Arnette, ran a painfully slow 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

In a division with offensive playmakers such as the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill, drafting a slow CB is enough to raise a few eyebrows, and not in a good way.

But in a bit of news that could make the selection of Arnette more palatable, Chris Carter, former NFL WR and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, claimed that Arnette dealt with injury at the NFL combine, explaining his poor time in the 40-yard-dash.

“He’s got better game speed than he showed at the combine,” Carter said, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Twitter account. “At the combine, he was dealing with a couple things. He had a hamstring and a back issue. I believe he runs a lot faster than that combine time.”

Carter and Arnette both played football at Ohio State, and it was Carter that convinced Arnette to remain in college an extra year after Arnette was set to enter the draft in 2019. He’s definitely in the position to have some inside information on the young CB.

Arnette will need every bit of speed he has to quiet his critics, perhaps most notably, Pro Football Focus. The publication claims that Arnette “does not in any way, shape or form fit the normal profile for a first-round cornerback.”

But he’ll have the first crack at the Raiders’ starting job opposite second-year CB, Trayvon Mullen. If Carter’s claim is true, that will help the Raiders’ chances on defense immensely as they head to their inaugural season in Las Vegas.

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