Raiders 2023 NFL Draft: Top-3 scenarios at No. 7 overall

Raiders 2023 NFL Draft: Top-3 scenarios at No. 7 overall

#3 - Solidify the Perimeter

For longer than I care to admit, the Raiders have had their struggle in the secondary, namely at the cornerback position. In fact, the last time I remember a first-round cornerback that we drafted panned out, I was 13 years old and the Raiders selected a young stud out of Cal by the name of Nnamdi Asomugha.

The tale has been as old as time when it comes to Raiders' woes at defensive back, but there's a chance this year's draft can help them change that.

Insert Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon. As a senior, he is coming off an absolutely incredible 2022 season. One that has been directly compared to the type of season Jets 1st-round cornerback Sauce Garner had in 2021 before he entered into the draft.

Witherspoon is coming off of a season in which he only allowed a QBR of 24.6 when being targeted. For reference, Christian Gonzalez and Joey Porter Jr., both considered two of the top corners in this class, respectively gave up 74.7 and 63.6 QBR when targeted in 2022.

At 6-0 181 lbs, Witherspoon is on the slender side of things, but that can be fixed. With what he may lack right now in overall size he vastly makes up for in his ability to shutdown a wide receiver man to man and his physicality to also support in the run game. It'll be interesting to see what the Raiders might do if both he and Christian Gonzalez are still on the board, but my money is on reuniting Witherspoon with former running mate Nate Hobbs.