The Las Vegas Raiders have been urged by pundits and fans alike to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick and focus on bolstering the situation around him. Spend big on offensive linemen, draft good offensive weapons, and make sure that Mendoza's NFL transition goes as smooth as possible.
And that is incredibly sound logic. But Las Vegas won't be a competitive football team until it rebuilds its defense and adds talent there as well. When the defense is addressed, the conversation mainly surrounds the defensive line, with or without Maxx Crosby, and rebuilding the linebacker corps.
But what about the secondary?
At least one starter will be needed in the defensive backfield, and perhaps two or three. To cinch things up in the back half of the defense, the Raiders could use their key coaching staff connections to land prized free agent Alontae Taylor, a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints.
Raiders must use coaching staff connections to land Alontae Taylor in FA
Let's start off with the obvious connection: New head coach Klint Kubiak, and of course his trusty assistants Andrew Janocko and Rick Dennison, now also with the Silver and Black, were on the Saints' staff in 2024. While all in the same building, they worked on the offensive side of the ball.
Coincidentally, Joe Woods will be returning for his second year with the Raiders as the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Why is that coincidental? Woods was Taylor's defensive coordinator in New Orleans for two years, and Taylor had two great campaigns under his watch.
It also doesn't hurt that Las Vegas just hired Zach Azzanni as their wide receivers coach, who spent four years both in the same role and as a recruiting coordinator at the University of Tennessee, where Taylor played collegiate football for four years.
No, the two didn't overlap, but Taylor was a wide receiver in high school in the local area, and he first visited campus just months after Azzanni's departure for the NFL. It's hard to imagine that the two didn't have at least a passing knowledge of each other, given their Volunteer wide receiver ties.
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Oh, and Taylor has the potential to be a difference-maker at the cornerback position for the Raiders. While he primarily lined up in the slot last year, he can also have success out wide and in the box. Taylor plays wherever he is needed, and he can have success no matter what.
Through four NFL campaigns, the young player has already ammassed 293 tackles, four interceptions, 52 passes defended, 7.0 sacks, 21 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. Taylor has played over 4,000 snaps in the pros, and he has the production to warrant that snap share.
Now, Taylor does give up a lot in coverage. He's been credited with allowing 20 touchdowns and 2,714 receiving yards in four NFL seasons. But Taylor has also been targeted a lot, and his career passer rating allowed when targeted is 99.8, which is right around the league average.
Is he worth $11.2 million per year, his projected market value from Spotrac? Especially when Eric Stokes is only supposed to receive a $7.4 million annual salary? Can the Raiders afford to pay both? That is for John Spytek and Co. to decide.
But Taylor is an incredibly experienced cornerback who can line up in multiple spots, and he has too many connections to this staff to ignore. Although he's not one of the best available on the open market, his time with the Saints seems to be done, and Las Vegas could use a secondary boost.