Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois
No safeties went in the first round, so it appears the NFL is not only unwilling to pay safeties, but they don’t want to draft them high anymore either. The Raiders got a nice corner in Ohio State’s Damon Arnette, but he does not necessarily address the lack of speed on defense.
Jeremy Chinn would bring size, speed, and length to the Raiders defense and even more versatility as a safety and linebacker hybrid. Chinn proved at the Senior Bowl that he can play with some of the best players in D1, so it seems his play will be able to translate at the next level.
He may not be a day-one starter, but he could allow the Raiders to run different packages with three safeties or three linebackers without losing much against the run or pass. He also fits the Raiders in terms of leadership as he was a team captain at Southern Illinois.
Chinn could go earlier, but with how many safeties are still on the board, someone is going to slip, and as we saw in the first round, team boards are all over the place.