Las Vegas Raiders slightly just gave away part of their 2025 NFL Draft plans after latest move
It's clear that the Las Vegas Raiders are in dire need of some cornerback help, both starter and depth level, especially with guys like Ntate Hobbs out of the door and headed to play for the Green Bay Packers on a pretty nice deal. The cornerback market isn't great when you look at who's left. […]
It's clear that the Las Vegas Raiders are in dire need of some cornerback help, both starter and depth level, especially with guys like Ntate Hobbs out of the door and headed to play for the Green Bay Packers on a pretty nice deal.
The cornerback market isn't great when you look at who's left. So, the immediate thought was just that the Raiders would address the move in the 2025 NFL Draft, specifically early in the draft. The fact that the Raiders hadn't yet addressed the position in free agency, and seeing what was left, certainly made everyone feel like a cornerback was going to be the pick at No. 6.
Now, surely those plans have changed, if that was the plan in the first place. And, it should have been, because the class is strong at the top, and it's a very big need for the Raiders. Now that all changes.
The Raiders are expected to sign former Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes. It's not a signing that will put everyone on alert, but it's another starting caliber player to have as your third or fourth best cornerback behind Jakorian Bennett, Jack Jones, and maybe even Decamerion Richardson.
The deal is said to be a one-year deal worth $4 million. That's not bad when you look at Hobbs' deal he got.
Eric Stokes' career so far
If you had 10 possible outcomes of Eric Stokes’ time with the Packers four years ago, what actually happened would probably be the worst one. A first-round pick in 2021, Stokes was put in a tough position early on and played at a high level as a true CB1 for Green Bay as a rookie when Jaire Alexander suffered a serious shoulder injury in Week 4.
The expectations entering Year 2 were sky high. After all, the projection of having Alexander and Stokes at the same time was amazing. The plan never materialized, though. Stokes regressed and suffered big ankle and knee injuries in 2022, making him miss playing time and the athleticism that made him special in the first place.
After two years affected by the injuries and poor play when available, the Packers decided to decline Stokes’ fifth-year option last offseason, a clear indication of what would eventually happen. This past season, even with Jaire missing half of the year with multiple injuries, Stokes was behind Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine on the cornerback depth. And the former first-rounder isn’t suited to play inside, so rookie safety Javon Bullard was in the slot.
Eric Stokes’ new team will bet that his talent is so big that he can overcome what happened in Green Bay. And maybe that, hopefully, he is distanced enough from those 2022 injuries that he can regain his athleticism and high-end recovery speed. – A to Z Sports Green Bay's Wendell Ferreira
Eric Stokes' fit on the Raiders
According to Pro Football Focus, Stokes played a variety of coverages in Green Bay, but primarily zone coverage. However, he seems to excel in man coverage. Well, that was before his injury. If he's healthy, that's where his fit will be in this Raiders scheme that Pete Carroll and Patrick Graham are devising.
The Raiders play man coverage more than most teams do. That's what Graham loves — press man every now and then with some physicality. Stokes can be physical but not to the point to where he is getting penalties. He had one penalty called against him last season in 358 coverage snaps, per NFL Pro.
This is a pretty good signing given the needs they have and the resources they have left.
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