Many were surprised when the Las Vegas Raiders selected Damon Arnette with the 19th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. The former Ohio State Buckeye cornerback wasn’t one of those people.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock made sure he addressed the team’s defensive secondary early in the draft. He did it and at the same time, he got the player he wanted in the process. Based on the grades Mayock had, he felt Arnette was the best pick at that moment. He said so himself, “The reason he’s not a reach is because of his grade in our system.”
As far as all the chatter about Arnette being a reach, the cornerback isn’t buying it. The Ohio State product recently talked about it in a column via ESPN.
“I mean, I consider myself one of the best players in the draft,” Arnette said in a conference call that night. “So, I feel like the best players go in the first round, so I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. But I’m definitely thankful for it and grateful for the opportunity.”
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Arnette should definitely be a breath of fresh air in the Raiders defense. Head coach Jon Gruden wants players that are confident but humble enough to know when they have an opportunity. Moreover, we’re all aware of Mayock’s emphasis on selecting players with high character. I’m sure he did his research with this pick.
Raiders: A Quitter? Not At All
One of the immediate concerns for some folks was that Arnette quit school before his senior year. However, he did eventually go back and finish. In fact, he finished so strong he worked his way into becoming a first-round pick for the Raiders. Arnette gave his side of what happened at Ohio State:
“I chose to go back to school to rewrite my legacy at Ohio State,” Damon Arnette said. “I felt like I wasn’t the best player I could be on or off the field, so I decided to come back to regather myself and start over.”
It doesn’t sound like Arnette’s a quitter, quite the opposite, Raiders fans should be excited that he’s focused on finishing what he starts and that his own personal legacy is important to him.
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*Top Photo: Michael Conroy/Associated Press