Raiders can get starter at biggest need in round three of NFL Draft
The Las Vegas Raiders need a cornerback. If we are being honest, they really only have one good one, and that is Nate Hobbs, who missed time last year with injuries. They need depth, and they need starting-caliber players at the position. The cornerback position is deep in this draft, and the Raiders could end […]
The Las Vegas Raiders need a cornerback. If we are being honest, they really only have one good one, and that is Nate Hobbs, who missed time last year with injuries. They need depth, and they need starting-caliber players at the position.
The cornerback position is deep in this draft, and the Raiders could end up striking gold on a guy outside the first round. If there is a guy at the position who has that potential, to me, it's Cam Smith, who one NFL analyst predicted to go to the Raiders at pick 70.
Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina
Cornerback has long been a weakness for the Raiders, and it's high time the team got it right in the draft. At 6-1 and 180 pounds, Smith shows excellent quickness and a feistiness to his game. He has to learn to be less grabby in coverage, but his six career interceptions (and 19 pass breakups) prove his ball skills.
-Matt Miller, ESPN
Here is what Pro Football Focus said on Cam Smith, a guy who can certainly help the Raiders' defense for the 2023 NFL season and a guy they won't have to waste an early pick on.
Smith finds footballs. Twenty-two of his 94 career targets were either picked off or broken up. That’s production that you can’t fake. Smith’s speed will need to be protected on the outside at the next level. That concern can be alleviated in a slot role, where his natural playmaking ability could shine. Many of Smith’s shortcomings are physical, but his missed tackles are fixable. He’s too quick to leave his feet and dive at ball carriers, leading to a 16.3% career missed tackle rate.
–PFF
Smith is a guy that can create turnover possibilities, something the Raiders haven't been able to do the last few years, especially when it comes to interceptions. The last two years the Raiders have been the worst teams when it comes to defensive turnovers, as they have had six the last two years. In 2020 they had the fifth least amount of interceptions with 10. In 2019, they were the second worst with nine interceptions, per NFL.com.
The Raiders need to get back to having a great defense, and it starts this year in the draft. They used to have dominant defenses, but that has since changed.
