The Las Vegas Raiders need to improve at cornerback, and a prospect like TCU’s Jeff Gladney could be a worthwhile option to add to the group.
For most of the offseason, many believed that if the Las Vegas Raiders were to use an early pick on defense, it would be at linebacker. However, with the free agency additions of Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiakoski, the front office has addressed that position and now have some flexibility when it comes to where they want to improve elsewhere on the defense.
Cornerback seems to be next on the list in terms of need as the Raiders pass defense was among the worst in the league last season, finishing 25th in yards allowed. There are other factors outside of the cornerback play that can lead to such a weak pass defense, but it is clearly a position Las Vegas can improve at.
Trayvon Mullen showed good promise in his rookie season and should have one starting spot locked down. So the real question becomes who will be on the opposite side of him?
There are a lot of quality cornerbacks prospects to choose from this year, so the Raiders just need to find which one fits their ideal profile.
One thing that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden seem to favor is tough-minded players who are going to compete non-stop. And in this draft, TCU’s Jeff Gladney is one of the prospects that fit that to a tee. He isn’t a name that is commonly picked to the Raiders, but there have been a few mocks that have Las Vegas taking him at pick 19. Or perhaps in a trade back, he could become a very viable option.
So let’s dive into Gladney as a player and see if he fully matches what the Raiders are looking for.