The Las Vegas Raiders have become notorious for whiffing on top picks in the NFL Draft since their debacle with LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007. Unfortunately, this notion is more fact than fiction, as Russell is far from the only first-rounder to crash and burn with the Silver and Black.
While some have failed due to underperformance and an inability to adjust to the NFL level, others have struggled to stay out of trouble off the field or act properly in the locker room. For one player, a combination of all three of these things actually shortened his Raiders career.
That player was Damon Arnette, who was one of the worst cornerbacks in the league after being taken 19th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. When combined with being a bad presence on the team and having a smattering of legal issues, his NFL career was over before it even began.
Former Raider Damon Arnette continues to show he is not an NFL CB
However, this offseason, Arnette seemingly cleaned up his act and put together a strong showing for the Houston Roughnecks in the UFL. He parlayed this into a contract with the Houston Texans, where he has spent the entire offseason.
Through two preseason games, however, he has recorded a Pro Football Focus grade of just 45.9 despite playing against exclusively backups and end-of-the-roster players. Even when he makes a highlight like grabbing his first interception, he falls on his face by fumbling the ball on the return.
#UFLToNFL: Former @XFLRoughnecks CB Damon Arnette with the INT for the #Texans, which results in a TD offensively.@damon_arnette was one of the #UFL's top DB's this year in Houston. Former 1st round pick of the #Raiders.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) August 16, 2025
Spring. Football. WORKS. pic.twitter.com/DUFH4OaEes
This was a nice defensive play by Arnette, and the Texans did recover the fumble, but this play is the perfect encapsulation of his career. Even when things go right temporarily, nothing has stayed good or positive for too long for the former Ohio State Buckeye.
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Arnette has been penalized twice this preseason in two games, and despite not giving up a single reception in 23 pass coverage snaps, his PFF grade is still a 40.8. This includes a 29.8 grade against the Carolina Panthers, the same game he caught the aforementioned interception.
In 45 total snaps, he has recorded just a single tackle, which depicts a cornerback who is unwilling to help in the run game. This makes sense, given that in the best of his two seasons in Las Vegas, his PFF tackling grade was a 45.1, and he missed 12 tackles as a rookie in just nine games.
Houston's cornerback depth is not particularly strong, so there is still a chance that Arnette sneaks his way onto the practice squad for the 2025 NFL season. Raider Nation would warn against keeping him around, however, because this fan base knows exactly what happened last time.