The Raiders have made their fifth pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting Maryland CB Jakorian Bennett with the No. 104 pick.
Bennett is a press-man coverage who ran in the 4.3s at the NFL Combine. Bennett is a highly aggressive cornerback who loves to tackle and was a playmaker.
Here is what Dane Brugler of The Athletic had to say about Bennett:
A three-year starter at Maryland, Bennett was primarily an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Brian Williams’ balanced scheme. After only one season of high school varsity football, he went the juco route and then blossomed with the Terrapins, logging more passes defended (31) than games played (28) in his Maryland career. Bennett has NFL play speed and controls his throttle well to maintain competitive spacing in man coverage (zero touchdowns allowed in 2022).
With his ball skills, he displays an innate ability to judge and disrupt the catch point, although teams must be comfortable with the tradeoff, which is his aggressive propensity to draw flags.
Overall, Bennett’s lack of discipline mid-route and at the catch point created rough patches on tape, but his cover speed and knack for getting his hands on the football are traits that will follow him to the NFL. He will compete for gunner reps and defensive snaps as a rookie.
He is the first secondary player that the Raiders have selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Bennett should be able to compete for snaps right away as a rookie.
