Raiders 7-round Mock Draft: Selecting the best player available

The theme of day 2 so far has been to grab players from the College Football Playoff and it continues here with Mike Sainristil from Michigan. This is a nice mix of best player available that actually fills a need for the Raiders as they are still in search of a cornerback partner across from Jack Jones.

Mike Sainristil is a smaller corner that measures in at 5-10 and 182 lbs and his last recorded 40 time was impressive but not blazing at 4.45 seconds. We are excited to see how he improves on that performance at the NFL combine and the rest of his measurables should be impressive as well.

Sainristil has been a starter for the Wolverines and their elite defense for two years and in 2023 he recorded 6 pass breakups, 5 interceptions as well as two sacks.

Sainristil is lauded by scouts for his play recognition and they believe he has the fluidity and instincts to play corner at the pro level. He plays bigger than his size and is not afraid to get physical with opposing receivers which is a much needed trait that Antonio Pierce looks for in his defensive backs.

While he has the fluidity to stay with receivers underneath, there are some concerns about him not being able to keep up with the top end speedsters in the NFL but he can go a long way towards dispelling that concern with strong performances in the pre draft workouts. He should fit in this defense nicely because of his physical approach and football instincts.