Las Vegas Raiders: 5 best cornerbacks taken in the NFL Draft

3. Nnamdi Asomugha

Easily the last great cornerback the Raiders have had, Nnamdi Asomugha was taken in the first round (#31) of the 2003 draft. Asomugha had to transition from free safety in college to corner in the NFL, but midway through his second season, he was a full-time starter.

In 2006, he put his name on the map with a career-high eight interceptions and 19 pass deflections.

From that point, he began to elevate his game and became one of, if not the best cornerback in the league. There were serious debates as to who was the better player, Asomugha or Darrell Revis, a star shutdown corner for the New York Jets. While Revis was the superior player, Asomugha’s run from 06-10 was as good as it gets.

Three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro selections are what he accomplished during that period, and it got to the point were teams just avoided even throwing his direction. It is a shame such high-level play was wasted on mostly unsuccessful or downright terrible Raiders teams, but Asomugha proved his worth despite the circumstance.