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Jakorian Bennett knows what the world was going to see in 2024 had he not gotten hurt

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 8:33 PM ET

2025 is going to be a big year for a lot of players on the Las Vegas Raiders. Some of them are looking for another contract, and some of them are trying to establish themselves in the league after having been in it for a few years.

For the entire 2023 NFL Draft Class, they are going into their third season, and after this season, they are eligible for an extension, but that's if the Raiders think they deserve it. If not, they will play in their fourth year, and after that, enter free agency. Guys like Tyree Wilson, Aidan O'Connell, Tre Tucker, Michael Mayer, and Jakorian Bennett fall into this category.

For Bennett, he's going into his third season as the CB1 on the team. They believe in him to be that guy. If they didn't, they would have signed or traded for a top guy by now. And, he knows that he can be that guy because of what he did last year.

Or, what he was on his way to doing last year. Bennett was having one of the best seasons of any CB in the league before he was injured for the year, and he was doing it all with a shoulder injury.

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"Man, I was feeling good going into last year," Bennett told reporters last week during mandatory minicamp. "I just felt confident, felt like when you get that experience, everything just kind of slows down. And I had a group of guys that believed in me, and so this year I'm trying to try to do the same thing. Keep my head and just keep working."

Bennett was about to break out big time. Before he was injured, he led the NFL in pass breakups, and it felt like he had one on every big-time third-down stop. The Raiders need that in 2025, but for the whole year. According to Sports Info Solutions, of anyone on the team who was targeted at least 10 times, Bennett led them all in completion percentage allowed at 41%, which is incredible.

With how young the secondary is about to be, the Raiders are going to rely heavily on Bennett, even as a third-year player. In a way, he is the veteran and the guy in the room. And he knows that, luckily for them, he's ready.

Playing for the Raiders, and in the situation they are in, where they are trying to get to the postseason, you have to have a good secondary. You have to have a clear No. 1 guy against teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers, who all have great QBs and all have weapons.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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