A Solid Season from This Raiders' Addition Would Work Wonders

The Raiders drafted Darien Porter in the third round of the draft to help bolster a questionable cornerback unit. Following the NFL Draft, Carroll explained what went into the team's decision to draft Porter.

“Well, you go back through the years, we drafted a lot of corners over the years. And we've always looked for guys that are really fast and guys that are really long and tall because of the style of the way we coach them. And we've had some pretty good ones, you know. The one thing I think about Darien, he's a lot like Richard Sherman was," Carroll said.

"Richard Sherman was a wide receiver at Stanford until [Jim] Harbaugh kicked him over to the other side of the ball, and he had one year playing corner. There's a lot of similarities in the makeup of these two kids. Richard's history is pretty bright, so I have really high expectations for how this works out with Darien, and he kind of fits the mold.” 

Carroll explained why he likes cornerbacks who have previously played wide receiver. Aside from Carroll's success with that method, Carroll feels he has seen enough from Porter to believe he will be the next talented cornerback he can successfully develop on the professional level.

“Yeah, well, one of the things I really like about guys coming from offense is they caught balls all their life. And this game is about getting the football. And so, when you see Darien and when you see his highlights and see him play, he attacks the football really comfortably. And that means that he's at ease when the ball is coming in. And so, I don't think he had a penalty last year. That's a huge accomplishment for playing out there. But what we do is we give him a real style of play. We teach him how to play on the line of scrimmage," Carroll said.

"You know, kind of historically started all here at the Raiders many years ago when I first realized how to start making sense of press corners with Mike Haynes and back with Lester [Hayes] in the day. And we've been doing it for a long time, and so there's a real style to it and a real technique and skill to it that we share with these guys. And if they have the right makeup that we're looking for, then we can bring them along quickly and really help them engage and help the football team at an early age.”

The Raiders' cornerbacks are the team's most significant need heading into the 2025 season. However, Porter developing faster than expected and giving the Raiders above average play for a rookie could help spark a defense in need of all the help it can get.

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