The Raiders Have a Chance to Create Solid CB Duo

The Las Vegas Raiders enter this offseason with 17 unrestricted free agents, including cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Tre'von Moehrig.

Moehrig's ranking as arguably the best free agent safety in the National Football League this offseason means another team could offer him more money than the Raiders are comfortable paying him.

The same goes for Hobbs, although he is not valued as highly as Moehrig.

This means the Raiders could enter next season with two new defensive backs, and if Marcus Epps leaves in free agency, it could be three. Losing three starting defensive backs is a huge deal for any team, and while the Raiders need a quarterback, they can draft a better cornerback than a quarterback in the first round of the draft.

They could do so without having to trade draft capital like they would if they traded up for one of the draft's top quarterbacks.

Las Vegas was projected to take a cornerback with the No. 13 pick in many mock drafts last year, as their need at the position has been evident for some time.

Marco Enriquez of the Pro Football Network predicts the Raiders will use the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft to address the position.

"The Raiders will undoubtedly spend a lot of this offseason doing their homework on available quarterbacks, both those in the draft and free-agent options such as Sam Darnold," Enriquez said. "Assuming Las Vegas is unable to move up for Sanders, the Raiders will fill needs elsewhere on the roster. Will Johnson could end up not making it to the sixth pick, as he is that talented. Yet, assuming he does, the Raiders snag a lockdown corner as they look to improve a defense that already sports star edge rusher Maxx Crosby."

Enriquez noted what makes Johnson worthy of such a high draft pick and that Johnson tends to jump routes. While this can be productive, Raiders cornerback Jack Jones is a testament to how detrimental this can be to a cornerback and a defense.

"Johnson is an instinctual player," Enriquez said. "He has an impressive understanding of route concepts and reacts quickly. The one area where he could use some improvement is his tendency to jump routes. In college, he was able to lean on his athleticism to recover in those scenarios, but he can’t rely on that at the pro level."

Most would agree this is a weak class of quarterbacks for the draft. While the Raiders need a quarterback, they are better off not gambling assets or a top pick on a quarterback who may or may not work out, especially with a roster that has numerous holes to fill.

Selecting Johnson would pair him with cornerback Jakorian Bennett, arguably one of the best cornerbacks in the league this season, before going down with a season-ending injury. A healthy Bennett, paired with Johnson, is a good start for a Raiders defense that could feature over five new starters next season.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.