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- Mar 19, 2019
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One of the more surprising picks of Thursday night’s first round was the second selection made by the Raiders.
They selected former Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette in a move that some considered a reach because he was generally expected to be available on the second night of the draft. Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock said the team could have rolled the dice by trading down and trying to get Arnette later, “but we didn’t want to lose” a player they had a high grade on after going through the scouting process.
“What distinguishes him is, No. 1 he can run. No. 2, he’s tough as nails, and when you talk about competitors, he played most of the season with a cast on his arm,” Mayock said, via NBCSportsBayArea.com. “He can play outside, he can play inside, he can play left, he can play right. We feel like this is one of the most competitive football players in the entire draft. So, to answer your question, we don’t feel, at all, like this is a reach.”
Arnette will have every opportunity to prove the Raiders right about their feeling that his fit in their defense was more valuable than anything they would have received in a trade out of the 19th overall pick.