In a broad sense, the Las Vegas Raiders didn't have an awful pass defense in 2024. But it certainly could have been better, and thus far in the offseason it's hard to say improvement has been attained with losses and additions in free agency. In particular, a legit No. 1 cornerback might be a need that goes unfilled with an external addition this offseason.
So someone stepping up internally is lined up to be the way the Raiders get a proverbial "lock down" corner for next season. Pro Football Network offered up an option as they named a player most likely to step up in 2025 for each team.
"They (the Raiders) were decent against the run, but the unit wasn’t great at defending the pass. Despite the struggles, one bright spot was the improvement of cornerback Jakorian Bennett."
"Bennett appeared in 10 games in 2024, seven of which were starts. He recorded 26 tackles and 8 pass breakups. He was targeted 45 times as the nearest defender, allowing a -10.2% catch rate over expected and an 86.9 passer rating, according to Next Gen Stats."
"Bennett was on pace to have a significantly better statistical year than his rookie season, but a shoulder injury cut his sophomore season short. He played just over 70% of snaps, but he could be in for a larger role in 2025 if he stays healthy. His physical profile, coupled with his production, could bode well for a full-on breakout season next year."
Can Jakorian Bennett become the Raiders CB1?
The Raiders took Bennett in the fourth round (No. 104 overall) in the 2023 draft. He played in 14 games and started four as a rookie, albeit in a pretty small role (360 defensive snaps). In four fewer games last season, before a shoulder injury cost him the final seven games, he played 461 defensive snaps (a 71 percent snap share in those games).
Through Week 5 last season (h/t to SI.com, according to Pro Football Focus), Bennett allowed just a 42.9 percent completion rate in his coverage (fifth-best in the league among cornerbacks who had been targeted at least 10 times). For the season he finished with a 48.6 percent completion rate allowed in his coverage (fourth-best among cornerbacks with at least 156 coverage snaps, according to PFF).
Bennett will have the continuity of Patrick Graham's defensive scheme to help him, and it appears he has the skill set to be the lockdown corner the Raiders are searching for. But health will be the most critical key for him to have a real breakout in his third season, as he has missed at least three games in both of his seasons so far.