Las Vegas Raiders Rookie Roles: Cornerback Damon Arnette

Las Vegas Raiders Rookie Roles: Cornerback Damon Arnette

Why and where he was drafted

As mentioned, Arnette originally planned to declare for the NFL Draft after his junior season that would have seen him likely selected in the mid to late rounds. After that stellar senior season, his grade improved to a second or third rounder according to many pundits and the move obviously paid off as he was chosen 19th overall by the Raiders.

The Raiders fell in love with his physicality and versatility and GM Mike Mayock gushed about his ability to play all over the field. Mayock described Arnette as “tough as nails” and that assessment is backed up by his play for the entire season with that broken wrist.

There was some controversy surrounding Arnette’s 40 time at the NFL Combine as the official time had him at 4.56 but the stopwatches of several scouts had him in the 4.4 range. The belief is that the clock started before Arnette began running and in the 40 yard dash where .2 seconds is an eternity it may have made a huge impact on his draft stock.

Regardless of the measurables the Raiders feel that he is the talented, physical corner that they can count on for the next decade though they may not lean on him so quickly.