Oakland Raiders full 2018 NFL mock draft
By John Buhler
If last year taught us anything about the Raiders, it is that their secondary was largely terrible. Injuries and ineptitude in the secondary largely sank the Oakland defense. The Raiders struggled mightily in getting off the field defensively and forcing turnovers. Adding Florida Gators cornerback Duke Dawson at No. 110 in the fourth round could be a good fit for them.
In four years in Gainesville, Dawson had 81 tackles (56 solo, 25 assists), 17 pass breakups, 6.5 tackles for a loss of yardage, six interceptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns, and two forced fumbles. While Florida struggled in his senior year, It was by far and away Dawson’s best year in the SEC.
Dawson is 5-foot-11, 197 pounds. He has 31 1/2 inch arms and 9-inch hands. At the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and put up 15 reps at 225 in the bench press. Those were the only events he took part in at the combine.
Getting better in the secondary is paramount for Oakland to get back to good under Gruden. If Dawson is the type of player that new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther thinks he can work with going forward, then this could very well be the pick for the Raiders.