The Las Vegas Raiders need a cornerback opposite Eric Stokes, and Colton Hood could be in play as a possibility.
The Las Vegas Raiders have needs up and down the roster, and cornerback is one that hasn’t been mentioned much. They have locked up cornerback Eric Stokes, who was one of the few Raiders to play well last year, and they’ve also met with top cornerback prospect Colton Hood in the final days of pre-draft visits. The visit was reported by Sam Robinson of ProFootballRumors.com, who cited multiple sources in his report.
Hood’s bona fides sound like those of a possible first-rounder. The Tennessee cornerback is expected to be taken there, according to Robinson, and he’s also done visits with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans.
He was a second-team SEC player last year for the Volunteers, and Hood chose to forego his last two years of eligibility to declare for the draft, which could be the reason the Raiders are doing this visit.
Hood was supposed to team with fellow cornerback Jermod McCoy to form a stellar secondary duo, but McCoy missed all of last year due to an ACL tear. The Tennessee cornerback is also well-traveled, having played at Auburn, then Colorado and finally Tennessee.
What’s intriguing about Hood’s visit is that the Raiders signed multiple pass rushers who were supposed to replace some of the production of defensive end Maxx Crosby before the Baltimore Ravens rescinded the Crosby trade. With Crosby back in the fold, the Raiders might decide that having two potential lockdown corners might make sense to go with the likes of linebacker/edge rusher types like Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker and Kwity Paye.
This would be an unusual move, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. The biggest random variable in this equation is the possibility of a reworked Crosby trade that brings in extra draft capital, but that’s still rumor fodder at this point even though there are reports that the Raiders are still getting interest in both Crosby and the top pick in the draft.
At this point, though, many of these draft visits are basically a cross between due diligence and tire-kicking, and that could be what’s happening here with Hood. It would be surprising to see the Raiders take him, but any kind of a trade would give Las Vegas enough draft capital to pull it off if the Raiders want to go in that particular direction. The Raiders could go in all kinds of directions here, especially given the different takes of their various “leaders.”