Ohio State has become somewhat known for its NFL cornerback talent. The Raiders have become acquainted with a few themselves of late. They drafted Gareon Conley at 24th overall in the 2017 draft and traded him to the Texans midway through last season. Then they appeared to have signed a former Buckeye corner this offseason in Eli Apple, but the deal fell apart.

Apparently, the have a quota, because they made Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette their selection at 19th overall Thursday night.

The thing is, Arnette wasn’t considered up there with the likes of Conley and Apple among Buckeye lore. He wasn’t even the first Buckeye cornerback taken in this draft; Jeff Okudah was.

Okudah was considered one of the best prospects in this class at any position and one of the few ‘can’t miss’ prospects. Then there was Arnette, who was apparently quietly going about his business in Okudah’s shadow. And he did it with a cast on his broken wrist.

Mike Mayock noticed him. And he liked what he saw enough to make Arnette his pick at 19.

“What distinguishes him is No. 1, he can run. No. 2, he’s tough as nails and when you talk about competitors,” Mike Mayock said of Arnette following the first round. “He played most of the season with a cast on his arm. He can play inside, he can play outside, he can play left, he can play right. We feel like this is one of the most competitive football players in the entire draft.”

That competitive quality has come up a few times when Mayock and Gruden talk about the players they like, especially those on the defensive side of the ball. What they call ‘alphas’. It’s what they loved so much about Johnathan Abram last year that had them select him in the first round.

There has to be something that fuels a player to compete. For Arnette it seems to be that he feels like he isn’t given the proper credit for his talent.

“Always being looked at as the underdog, always getting the short end of the stick in my athletic career,” said Arnette. “When you asked, ‘are you surprised you’re in the first round?’ I’m not, certain people might be surprised. I know those people are surprised because I’m always the underdog. But I already know what time it is every time I step on the field regardless of what someone has to say about me.”

One impressive stat on which Arnette can lay claim is having held quarterbacks to a passer rating of 60.6 last season which was the lowest of any cornerback in this class, according to Pro Football Focus. And yet that same publication had a 3rd round grade on him. As did most others. So, you can see why maybe Arnette has that proverbial chip on his shoulder.

Physicality is a trait Gruden also likes in his corners, which is part of the reason Conley was traded away last season; because he was lacking in that department. Arnette plays the run well and tackles well, so he checked those all-important boxes.