Why the Raiders Should Consider Sleeper Louisville CB

The Las Vegas Raiders will be without Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones (pending potential release soon) in 2025 -- two of their starters the season prior.

The 2025 NFL Draft will be crucial for the Raiders to rebuild their secondary, and there are plenty of options not named Travis Hunter, Jahdae Barron, or Will Johnson. The cornerback class is relatively deep and one candidate that stands out as a viable pick is Louisville's Quincy Riley.

The 33rd Team's Ian Valentino recently wrote that Riley should be off the board before his current big board value.

"This time last year, Quincy Riley was coming off a tremendous season and was thought to be a potential first-round pick in 2025," wrote Valentino. "He allowed an NFL passer rating of only 37.2, which was the third-lowest of his career. Best yet, though, was his tackling efficiency, hitting a much more palatable level of almost 90 percent.

"Riley's game seemed to be rounding out in a way that projected to be like Jaire Alexander's. Instead, though, he returned for a disappointing senior season in which a lot went wrong. His missed tackle rate more than doubled, and his passer rating allowed was easily the worst of his career. His usage didn't change, but he had an off year.

"Instead of selling stock, I'm buying the dip on Riley. The film was still good, even if two bad games skewed key stats. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder then ran a 4.48 40 at the combine and solidified he'll have more than enough explosiveness to succeed in the NFL. Riley may need a more zone-based scheme to fit in, but he'll add major ball skills that led to eight interceptions and 27 pass breakups to a unit."

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein was also a Riley buyer:

"Riley’s performance took a dip in 2024 but his tape shows the same strengths and weaknesses from the year prior. The ball production looks nice, but his indecisiveness and lack of awareness cause inconsistencies from zone and off-man coverage. He’s competitive with good make-up speed and the athleticism to improve his coverage squeeze if he takes the coaching. Riley needs to become more reliable in run support for teams to trust him as a nickel defender. The sixth-year senior clearly has play traits that work in his favor, but he must learn to play with quicker eyes and better focus to become more than a quality backup with inside/outside potential."

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