The Las Vegas Raiders focused on adding offensive players in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean that their defense has been neglected.
This past draft, the Raiders selected corners Damon Arnette and Arik Robertson. They also added safety Tanner Muse to their secondary. If it seems like general manager Mike Mayock paid more attention to the offense, that’s true, but that was after loading on defensive contributors in free agency.
Defensive Priority
After finishing 24th in points allowed last year, the Raiders went into free agency with a sense of urgency that was second to none. They added Maliek Collins and Carl Nassib to their defensive line rotation. Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski will lead their linebacker corps and Jeff Heath will enforce their perimeter. On the other hand, they just added wide receiver Nelson Agholor in the same period of time.
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The Raiders just couldn’t keep adding defensive players in the draft when they still had needs on offense. They knew their wide receiver room needed a lift and in a span of two days, they gave it a makeover by choosing Henry Ruggs with the 12th pick in the first round. The work didn’t stop there and they got Lynn Bowden Jr. and Bryan Edwards with back-to-back selections in the third round. They later added guard John Simpson in the fourth.
No Need For Another LB or DE
There was no need for the Raiders to select another linebacker in the third round or an EDGE in the fourth after heavily investing in their defense back in free agency.
Moreover, the difference between drafting a player versus signing one in free agency is that players that get a second contract have already proven themselves while prospects, as talented as they are, haven’t taken a snap at the pro level. Taking that into consideration, the Raiders have allocated more resources to their defense this offseason.
Heading into the offseason, the Raiders knew they need to upgrade both their offense and defense. After free agency and the draft, it clear they gave both units the same importance.
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Top Photo: Vasha Hunt/AP