The Las Vegas Raiders entered the 2023 NFL Draft with a few glaring needs on their roster. Most of those needs were on the defensive side of the ball, where they struggled mightily during the 2022 season.
Las Vegas was 26th in points allowed and 28th in yardage allowed. They couldn’t get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, generating only 27 sacks on the season as well. Knowing that the pass defense was their true weakness, they addressed that early.
With their first-round pick, the Raiders selected Texas Tech edge rusher, Tyree Wilson. He will provide an immediate and long-term boost opposite of Maxx Crosby. In Round 3, they continued bolstering the defensive line, selecting Alabama defensive tackle Byron Young.
At the top of Round 4 is when the Raiders addressed the secondary. They had the second pick of the round courtesy of a trade with the Houston Texans and with that pick, they selected Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett.
Bennett was the second Maryland cornerback selected in the draft, as his teammate Deonte Banks was selected in the first round by the New York Giants. Las Vegas is going to be happy with Bennett, a physical corner who has improved drastically as a press-man cover player.
A big reason for that improvement is his ability to recover based on his elite athleticism. Just how athletic is Bennett? According to Next Gen Stats, he had a 96 athleticism score at the combine because of his 4.30 40-yard dash and 40 ½ inches vertical jump.
With athleticism like that, Bennett can more than make up for any shortcomings he has in his technique right now. His jump ability makes him a playmaker in 50/50 pass attempts while his speed helps get him into position when he could have gotten beaten.
The Raiders love their speedy athletes and Jakorian Bennett is the latest in a long line of them to land with the organization via the draft.
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