With the draft under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ cornerback position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Darnay Holmes
Backups: Eric Stokes, DeCamerion Richardson, Sam Webb, Kyu Blu Kelly, MJ Devonshire, Keenan Isaac
The team let their best cornerback leave in free agency as Nate Hobbs signed with the Packers. Jones, Bennett, and Hobbs were the team's starting trio to begin last season. Bennett and Hobbs were both lost to injury. Replacing them were DeCamerion Richardson and Darnay Holmes respectively. There was a notable dropoff in talent with those injury losses.
Condition: Serious
The addition of Erik Stiokes adds depth to the outside, but doesn't address the loss of Hobbs. As of right now Holmes would be penciled in as the starter at nickel. And there are questions as to whether Jack Jones can keep his mind right and his emotions in check without Antonio Pierce as his head coach.
Draft projection
Cornerback is probably their biggest need on defense heading into the draft. Specifically in the slot. There isn't a cornerback worthy of selection at sixth overall, and perhaps not in the first round. But after that, anything's possible.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Assessing Raiders need at CB ahead of NFL Draft
