NFL Draft 2020: Raiders select Damon Arnette with 19th pick in the 1st round

The Las Vegas Raiders have selected cornerback Damon Arnette with the 19th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. He’s the third Ohio State player picked in the first round.

Cornerback was a position of need for the Raiders heading into the draft, with Arnette joining a relatively inexperienced defensive backfield.

“We feel like we have a bunch of talented young kids that we don’t know enough about yet,” Raiders general manager Mike Mayock told the Associated Press last week. “We have four or five young corners that we’re kind of intrigued by. Do we think we need to get better there? Yeah.”

Arnette played 53 games in four years with the Buckeyes, starting 38. He was second-team All-Big Ten in 2019, and was honorable mention as a sophomore and junior. Arnette was ranked 79th overall on Dan Kadar’s draft board at SB Nation.

Arnette is the fourth player ever picked 19th overall by the Raiders, after tackle Bob Svihus (1965), cornerback Jack Tatum (1971), and tackle Henry Lawrence (1974). All were starters for at least five seasons with the Raiders.

Arnette joins Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III as Raiders first-round draft picks this year. Ruggs was selected 12th overall.

The Raiders’ next pick comes Friday in the third round, where they have three selections. The second and third rounds of the NFL Draft will be televised Friday night beginning at 4 p.m. on ESPN, NFL Network, and ABC.

Raiders 2020 NFL Draft picks:

• Round 1 (12th): Henry Ruggs III, wide receiver, Alabama
• Round 1 (19th): Damon Arnette, cornerback, Ohio State
• Round 3 (80th): Lynn Bowden, wide receiver, Kentucky
• Round 3 (81st): Bryan Edwards, wide receiver, South Carolina
• Round 3 (100th): Tanner Muse, linebacker/safety, Clemson
• Round 4 (121st): John Simpson, guard, Clemson
• Round 4 (139th): Amik Robertson, cornerback, Louisiana Tech

NFL draft remaining schedule

• Friday: Rounds 2-3 (4 p.m. PT)
• Saturday: Rounds 4-7 (9 a.m. PT)