Raiders 2022 Draft: 5 late-round prospects that can elevate the Raiders

Raiders 2022 Draft: 5 late-round prospects that can elevate the Raiders

Jack Jones, CB, Arizona State

Just like the first option, Jones plays a position that’s already been addressed this off-season, but further adding to it could pay dividends.

The Las Vegas Raiders went out and grabbed the league’s top man-corner last season, as well as Anthony Averett. That doesn’t change the fact that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham wants an abundance of playmakers in the secondary, nor that no team had fewer interceptions one year ago than the Raiders.

Jones, who totaled ten picks throughout his college tenure, helps check both boxes.

It isn’t just that Jones is a playmaking ballhawk, or even that he excels in the man-corner scheme the Raiders grabbed Ya-Sin for, but he’s able to play anywhere in the secondary.

The negative with the Arizona State corner is his wingspan, which was the third-shortest of all cornerbacks recorded at the combine. Bigger wideouts might be a problem for him in man, but there’s no real reason to stick Jones on a wide-framed receiver with all the options at Graham’s disposal.

Overall, Jones has great instincts and holds down coverage assignments. He makes things happen for a defense, and you can never have too many of those types of corners.

There have been reports that the Raiders have offered a strong contract to Gilmore, while other sources deny much interest. Nothing can be confirmed to this point, but needless to say, if Gilmore lands in Vegas before the draft then the attractiveness of Jones drops exponentially.