That seems to be the million-dollar question for the Raiders. The Raiders took massive amounts of criticism for picking Arnette in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2020. It was also the last pick of the infamous Khalil Mack trade, so this pick has to pan out for less criticism. With the whole COVID-19 situation this year, we haven’t got to see much of Damon Arnette in action. Sure, there’s college game tape where he played good. There are snippets of 1v1s where he played excellent defense, as well as the usual camp talk from coaches and the organization flooding their players with praise. Is it all for real, though?
I was not too fond of the pick in the beginning, but that also shows how ignorant I am at NFL drafts and college prospects. If I hear about a player before the draft, I know they are somewhat useful. I didn’t hear anything about Damon Arnette. It’s not all his fault, as he played on the other side of Jeffrey Okudah. I’m a little better about the pick now. It could just be my bias and having a growing love for Raiders players in general, but he could end up being a solid pick.
There’s a lot of competition for the starting job for the Raiders. Should they go with Trayvon Mullen, who was another solid pick in the 2019 NFL Draft? Lamarcus Joyner, who’s sought as more of a slot corner? Amik Robertson, another rookie in the 2020 NFL Draft? It’s tough to say. There’s not going to be that much camp tape and with no NFL preseason this year, who can know for sure? If everything that we hear about Damon Arnette is right, though, look for him to be a first-year #1 corner. How’s that for value for a first-round pick?
