After day one and day two went well for the Las Vegas Raiders, the Raiders had two picks on day three. Las Vegas moved up in the fourth round to select John Simpson offensive guard from Clemson. With pick 139, the Raiders took cornerback Amik Robertson from Louisiana Tech. After the Robertson pick, the Raiders were done for the draft.
John Simpson G Clemson
Simpson started 29 of 30 games the last two seasons at Clemson. He was also selected first-team ACC and was an ALL-American as a senior. Simpson is a strong run blocker who is also athletic enough to pull on sweep plays. The guard was Clemson’s best offensive line and will provide immediate depth to the Raiders offensive line.
The Raiders have been shopping Gabe Jackson, so who knows Simpson could get a chance to start. If Jackson stays, he will provide depth and will be a future starter when Jackson’s contract is up.
Amik Robertson CB Lousiana Tech
Amik Robertson is a small corner, but he makes up for it by the way he plays. Robertson is an aggressive corner and has tremendous ball skills. In three years at Lousiana Tech, Robertson intercepted 14 passes and 34 pass breakups. Also, he had 184 total tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.
The height will be an issue in the NFL, Robertson played mostly outside, but for the Raiders i can see him being a nickel corner or even a free safety with his tackling and playmaking ability. Either way, the Raiders are adding another aggressive player to a secondary that struggled last season.
The Raiders have a lot of young corners on the roster, Trayvon Mullen, Isaiah Johnson, Keisean Nixon, Damon Arnette, Amik Robertson. Also, they have veteran Nevin Lawson and slot corner LaMarcus Joyner. It will be interesting to see which young cornerbacks will separate themselves from the other.
