Apr 25, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll at a news conference introducing Ashton Jeanty as the first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Who Would the Raiders Draft in a 2020 Redraft?

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders were in possession of two first-round picks in the 2020 NFL draft, and they used those picks on wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and cornerback Damon Arnette. Safe to say that these picks did not go the way the Raiders had hoped.

Neither of these players is even in the NFL anymore, and the Raiders would've been in a much better position if they had the foresight to know who these players would've turned out to be. PFF recently did a redraft of the 2020 NFL draft, and they imagined this draft would've been much different for the Raiders.

PFF believes that instead of Ruggs III being drafted 12th overall, the Raiders addressed their need at wide receiver by taking Brandon Aiyuk. Coincidentally, they're also drafting another cornerback, but it isn't Arnette, but L'Jarius Sneed instead.

The Redraft

"Prior to suffering a knee injury in 2024, Aiyuk had been a consistent playmaker for San Francisco. He has earned at least a 74.0 PFF receiving grade in each of his five seasons. That includes his elite 91.7 mark in 2023, which placed him second that season, behind only Tyreek Hill", said PFF.

Even in their first two seasons in the league, Aiyuk had much more production than Ruggs III and has the added benefit of still being in the NFL. While Aiyuk still has to prove he can bounce back from injury and return to form, the Raiders would've had much more success in the pass game if he were a part of their receiving corps.

"Arnette flamed out quickly in Las Vegas, playing in just 13 games before getting released. The Raiders instead select Sneed in this redraft. Though he played just five games this past season with the Titans due to a quadriceps injury, he was one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL with the Chiefs. Across 2022 and 2023, Sneed was the fifth-most-valuable cornerback, according to PFF WAR".

Sneed is most recognized from his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, but if he were to take his talents to their division rival, the Raiders' secondary would've been much better with him on the roster. Both of these players had to get contract extensions, and in this hypothetical scenario, I don't think the Raiders would've had money to bring back both of these players.

Still, those couple of years of them on their rookie deals would've given these picks a lot more value than what they ended up being. I'm sure Pete Carroll and the rest of the coaching staff would be even more excited to start this upcoming season if they had either of them on offense or defense.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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