Of the returning CBs, which ones check the new head coach’s boxes?
Cornerback has been an interesting position for the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, as there’s been quite a bit of turnover in the meeting room. One of the reasons for that is that new head coach Pete Carroll has a “type” at corner and often wants players to meet certain size thresholds.
Typically, Carroll is a big stickler when it comes to height and arm length, especially the latter. For example, Jack Jones was let go ahead of the draft, and Jones measures in under 6-feet tall (5-foot-10¾ to be exact) with sub-31-inch arms. Nate Hobbs was in a similar boat at 5-foot-11 and change with 31½-inch arms. Meanwhile, 2025 third-round pick Darien Porter is a shade under 6-foot-3 and has over 33-inch arms.
So, of the holdover corners from last year who are still on the Raiders’ roster, like Jakorian Bennett, how do they stack up to Carroll’s size thresholds?
All size information below is via MockDraftable.com.
Jakorian Bennett
- Height: 5-foot-11
- Arm length: 31⅞ inches
Bennett falls just short of Carroll’s typical thresholds, no pun intended. Size, especially height, is part of the reason why he fell to the fourth round two years ago. However, he is at least close to the arm length requirement and has the ball skills to fit the head coach’s liking. It also doesn’t hurt that he ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash.
Decamerion Richardson
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
- Height: 6-foot-2¼
- Arm length: 32⅜ inches
Size was part of what made Richardson an intriguing prospect as he cleared Carroll’s thresholds with some room to spare. The Mississippi State product also can run, clocking in with a 4.34 40.
Darnay Holmes
- Height: 5-foot-10
- Arm length: 29½ inches
Holmes is very undersized for the head coach’s standards. However, Carroll does give some leeway for nickel corners. For example, Devon Witherspoon is 5-foot-11½ and has 31¼-inch arms but manned the slot for Carroll in Seattle. That said, Witherspoon was a first-round pick, so Holmes will need to prove himself in training camp.
Sam Webb
- Height: 6-foot-0½
- Am length: 32⅛ inches
Measureables are part of the reason the Raiders have kept Webb around as a developmental cornerback over the last few years, and likely how he survived another regime change. But the clock is ticking on the three-year pro as he’s entering what feels like a make-or-break fourth season.
Kyu Blue Kelly
- Height: 6-foot-0
- Arm length: 32 inches
Have you ever gone into a final exam needing to get a certain score or better and gotten that score exactly? That’s basically what’s happening here with Kelly. Granted, he does have some position versatility to also line up at nickel and get a little size leeway from Carroll.
One other interesting note about the Stanford product’s measureables, his 40-time (4.52 seconds) is in the 35th percentile, but his 1.49-second 10-yard split is in the 95th percentile. That means Kelly lacks long speed but has good short-area burst, speaking to how he could be better at covering the slot than outside.