Raiders: Biggest surprises from the 2022 NFL Draft
By Brad Weiss
Raiders: Biggest surprises from the 2022 NFL Draft
No defensive back help
Last year, the Raiders traded up in the second round to draft safety Tre’Von Moehrig, who proved to be more than worth the selection during his rookie season. The Raiders also got elite play from Nate Hobbs, a Day 3 pick who ended up being one of the best rookie cornerbacks in the NFL, filling their need in the slot.
However, despite this influx of young talent, needs still exist in the secondary, especially when you consider how hot and cold Johnathan Abram has been. Trayvon Mullen is another good young cornerback on this roster, but he has yet to stay healthy, and still has not proven to be the CB1 the team was hoping he would be when they took him out of Clemson.
With six picks, I was surprised the Raiders did not bring in a cornerback this year, even with the addition of Rock Ya-Sin in the Yannick Ngakoue trade. They need depth at both cornerback and safety, and in a draft class that had very deep talent at both position groups, that could prove to be a miss by Ziegler and his staff.