Las Vegas Raiders: Early free agency 2023 NFL Mock Draft roundup
Las Vegas Raiders: Early free agency 2023 NFL Mock Draft roundup
Gordon McGuinness, PFF
If you have a PFF subscription, I advise their draft guide as a tool to use along with whatever other things you use to learn more about the 2023 prospects.
Gordon McGuinness authored this site’s most recent mock draft, and despite all the quarterback talk, he decided to address the defense with the Raiders’ first pick. Selecting Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
"“Gonzalez has all the tools to be an All-Pro in the NFL. He impressed with some incredible workout numbers in Indianapolis and posted 10 combined pass breakups and interceptions at Oregon in 2022.”"
Gonzalez was another combine winner showing off elite speed and explosiveness, but unlike Richardson, he has plenty of college tape to confirm his top-10 status. He would be a plug-in-play type of player and should be an immediate upgrade to the secondary.
The cornerback position has been one where the Raiders have struggled to find consistent talent in recent years, and Gonzalez may be the best at the position group in this draft class. Landing him with the No. 7 overall pick would give them a shutdown cornerback for years to come.