Silver And Black Pride
The Raiders secondary has struggled, fans were concerned all off-season that it would be a concern, and those concerns were justified. The Raiders have seen good play from free agent signing Eric Stokes and beyond him they have struggled to find consistency at cornerback. Veteran Darnay Homes has worked primarily in the slot but has struggled at times. On the boundary, the Raiders have rotated between Kyu Blu Kelly, who prior to Sunday’s week 4 matchup vs the Bears has allowed a 118.7 QBR. 3rd rounder Darien Porter hasn’t played often but he’s seen the field recently in weeks 3 and 4. 2024 4th rounder Decemarion Richardson has seen limited playtime and is struggling to develop the traits Las Vegas saw coming out of college.
The Raiders are likely to sign a free agent cornerback, and could hold onto Stokes if his level of play continues. The 2025 season has been rough for projected rookie CBs with many seeing injuries but there have been some high quality play out of those at the top of the board. The cornerback position is often determined by team scheme, with the Raiders running primarily cover 3 (over 55% on the season) the need for a man coverage cornerback is low. Arguably the best corner in the class, Clemson’s Avieon Terrell fits the system well. The brother of Falcons star AJ Terrell, Avieon has put together a strong start to the 2025 season with a 56% completion rate allowed, 108 yards, an 83.2 QBR and 4 PBU with 1 TD in coverage. Terrell has a fluid lower half, good speed and initial burst to keep up in man coverage along with break on route concepts. He’s an elite run defender as well who has missed just 5% of his tackles this season. Terrell’s largest struggle comes in his frame and arm length at just 5’11/190 and he could be forced to move to the slot in the NFL. Along with Terrell, Texas CB Malik Muhammad fits the Raiders heavy zone coverage system. The 6’0/190 DB has a career 23 PBU and a 79 QBR allowed including just allowing 22 years on 4 receptions this season. Muhammad is extremely physical, defends the run well, and has elite lower body athleticism that allows for him to move in space and make plays on the ball. The biggest concern for Muhammad comes with his weight and tackling in open space, where he has struggled at times with a near 30% missed tackle rate last season. Additionally, Muhammad needs to get better at man coverage and his footwork can be choppy. The last of the top five to be a primary zone CB comes with Texas A&M’s Will Lee III who has an ideal frame for the Raiders at 6’1/195 though he’s struggled at times this season allowing 247 yards, 2 TD, and a 116.6 QBR despite his 4 PBU (138 yards, TD allowed at Notre Dame). Lee defends the run well, is a good tackler, and does...
