Las Vegas Raiders: Who will emerge at cornerback in 2021?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have revamped their defensive backfield this offseason, but who will emerge at cornerback for the team in 2021?
During the 2019 NFL Draft, the then-Oakland Raiders made Trayvon Mullen their second-round pick, selecting the dynamic cornerback out of Clemson. Since being drafted, Mullen has been one of the only constants on this Raiders defense and will go into the 2021 season as the CB1 on this roster.
Behind him is another story, as there are a ton of question marks when it comes to this position group. The Silver and Black added a quality veteran this offseason in Casey Hayward, who was once one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL, but he is not the elite player he once was or at least was not in 2020.
Outside of Hayward and Mullen, two guys who figure to get a ton of playing time in 2021, the group has a ton of question marks. All told, this is going to be an interesting storyline to watch all summer long.
Raiders added talent in draft and free agency at cornerback
Since taking over as general manager, Mike Mayock has spent early-round, and late-round picks on his secondary, all of which has not really worked out, other than Mullen. This offseason, he added Hayward and Rasul Douglas via free agency, two veterans who will get a long look this summer.
Also in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Nate Hobbs from Illinois in the fifth round, and he has everything you look for in an NFL cornerback in terms of athletic ability and size. He could end up being another later-round steal for Mike Mayock, who possibly missed by selecting Damon Arnette in the first round in 2020.
In addition, during the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts, Mayock brought in the likes of Amik Robertson and Isaiah Johnson, two more cornerbacks who have talent, and will need to step up in 2021. For the first time in a while, there is some actual talent at the position group, which is going to lead to some intense competition over the next couple of months.
No matter who steps up and starts for Las Vegas this season at cornerback, the truth is, this unit as a whole has to be better. The group suffered a ton of injuries last season and were downright inconsistent weekly, and to make some noise in a tough AFC West, their secondary has to be better in 2021.