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The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping to be a playoff team in 2024.
Now that it is the offseason, they will look for ways to retool the roster through free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft, hoping those additions will push them into the postseason next year.
Under new General Manager Tom Telesco and Coach Antonio Pierce, the Raiders hope this new regime can succeed and bring back a Lombardi Trophy.
Pierce established a strong culture when he took over midway through the 2023 season and is looking to add players who fit that culture.
One player who could be a good fit is Wake Forest cornerback Caelen Carson. Carson enters the draft as a player with 36 career games played under his belt.
Carson finished his Demon Deacons career with 120 total tackles, including a career-high 42 in 2023, two and a half tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, 26 passes defended, and three interceptions. He participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last weekend.
Carson has prototypical NFL size at 6 feet tall and 195 pounds. He plays with physicality in the run and pass game and plays a smart brand of football. He has solid speed that allows him to close on plays quickly.
Carson is a well-built player with a solid upper body and good length. His physicality bothered some of the best wide receivers in college, including Florida State’s Keon Coleman, a projected first-round pick, and Missouri’s Luther Burden, one of the top young players in the country.
According to Pro Football Focus, Carson played most of his snaps as an outside corner in Defensive Coordinator Brad Lambert’s scheme. He was targeted 64 times and allowed 36 receptions for 436 yards and four touchdowns.
Carson is a good athlete but needs to be more technically refined. His backpedal is sloppy, and he will give up leverage to receivers too often. Carson’s physicality may also cause him problems at the next level, as he gets beat and cannot recover, so he gets grabby.
Carson is projected to be a second or third-round selection in the draft. If the Raiders are looking for a physical corner who is not afraid to hit and likes to compete, Carson could be a good fit for Pierce and his squad.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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