The Las Vegas Raiders were supposed to host this year's NFL Draft in “Sin City,” though those plans have since unfortunately gone out the window for obvious reasons. However, things remain bright for the Raiders as Las Vegas currently owns not one, but two first-round picks as a result of the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.
With the Raiders initially slated to pick at No. 12 overall in the first round, it can be inferred that the team will more than likely select a top-tier wide receiver in that spot. If that is the case, the Raiders will surely select a defensive back at No. 19, more specifically a cornerback. Regardless of where the Raiders ultimately take care of each of these needs, one thing is for sure; Las Vegas will come away with a cornerback and a wide receiver when all is said and done.
Because of the talent that the Raiders will more than likely be able to acquire at the wide receiver with that 12th pick, the focus at No. 19 should probably be geared more toward the cornerback position — as it stands today, anyway.
CB Kristian Fulton, LSU Tigers
Barring a free agent signing between now and the 2020 NFL Draft, currently scheduled for late April, the Las Vegas Raiders will be quite short-handed at the cornerback position — which may be putting things lightly in all honesty. At the moment, the Raiders employ the tandem of Eli Apple and Trayvon Mullen as the team's starting cornerbacks with the former making his way to Las Vegas as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. With little depth behind that duo, the Raiders should eye former LSU Tigers cornerback Kristian Fulton, who certainly has the ability to become an instant playmaker as a rookie in 2020.
With former Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jeff Okudah slated to come off the board within the top five picks of the first round, Fulton is arguably the next best option at this position.
CB A.J. Terrell, Clemson Tigers
Because there are a few cornerback needy teams slated to pick ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders, like the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16 and Dallas Cowboys at No. 17, there is a decent chance that former LSU Tigers cornerback Kristian Fulton is unavailable by the time that pick No. 19 rolls around. If that is ultimately the case, the Raiders should not shift the team's focus away from such a position as there are a few more top-notch options for Las Vegas — former Clemson Tigers cornerback A.J. Terrell included.
Bringing quite the exciting and mesmerizing skill set to the table, Terrell can no doubt help the Raiders right off the bat as the team will be forced to create turnovers in order to win in the AFC West division. With the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers ready to compete in 2020-21, the addition of Terrell would help the Raiders keep up in a fast-paced and incredibly dangerous division.
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU Tigers
With the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders will presumably select a highly regarded wide receiver like Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy, or CeeDee Lamb. However, there are a few other teams from around the league that also need wide receivers that could select one of those three players before Las Vegas while a team trading up into the early portion of the first round always remains a possibility as well.
If the Raiders are unable to secure Ruggs III, Jeudy, or Lamb, perhaps the team will turn its attention toward the cornerback position at No. 12. If that is indeed the case, then the Raiders would need to shift its focus at No. 19 to the next group of talented wide receivers as there are quite a few in this year's NFL Draft class. With that being said, the Raiders should be able to target former LSU Tigers wide receiver Justin Jefferson at this point in the first round.
Jefferson would fill the void left by former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who never actually saw regular-season action as a member of the Raiders. In his absence, the tandem of Hunter Renfrow and Tyrell Williams were forced to carry the majority of the workload, which didn't really work out too well for the Raiders.
This time around, though, Jefferson could join the duo of Williams and Renfrow while the Raiders also picked up former Philadelphia Eagles wideout Nelson Agholor on the free-agent market this offseason. If a player like Jefferson were to be added to this mix, it would serve as quite the formidable group for Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr.
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