In focus:
- With the 44th pick in Round 2 and the 77th pick in Round 3, the Raiders still have needs to fill at cornerback, offensive tackle and running back.
- Top available cornerbacks left on the board going into Round 2 include Cooper DeJean (Iowa) and Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama).
- The Silver and Black may also take an offensive tackle to fill the hole left by Jermaine Eluemunor's departure, or draft a running back to join Zamir White.
HENDERSON (KTNV) — After selecting Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick of the 1st round on Thursday night, Antonio Pierce and the Raiders flip the page to Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Las Vegas holds two picks tonight, set to go back on the clock at the 44th pick in the 2nd round and the 77th pick in the 3rd round.
First-year general manager Tom Telesco opted to go "best available" by taking Bowers, the Silver and Black adding a tight end in the early rounds for the second straight year.
After passing on offensive tackles and lockdown cornerbacks that many experts pegged to the Raiders, the team could address those positional needs as early as their 2nd round pick.
The top available cornerbacks left on the board per ESPN rankings are:
- Iowa's Cooper DeJean
- Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry
After not taking fellow Crimson Tide corner Terrion Arnold at 13th overall, Pierce and Telesco could eye his teammate in McKinstry.
Missouri's Ennis Rakesetraw Jr. and Georgia's Kamari Lassiter are up next as the top-graded corners who have yet to hear their name called.
Filling the void of Jermaine Eluemunor after the Raiders' starting right tackle signed with the Giants in free agency, top available offensive tackles include:
- Blake Fisher of Notre Dame
- Roger Rosengarten of Washington
- Kingsley Suamataia of BYU
The Raiders could also look to add a running back on Friday evening, be it in the 2nd or 3rd round.
Filling the absence of Josh Jacobs and joining Zamir White could be:
- Jonathon Brooks of Texas
- Trey Benson of Florida State
- Blake Corum of Michigan.
