Round One

After a season in which both starting cornerbacks were exposed for their shortcomings — Sean Smith on the deep ball, David Amerson in consistency — the Raiders front office quietly put together a plan to address the situation in the secondary.

- Michael Wagaman

While most of the NFL world had general manager Reggie McKenzie pegged to take a defensive tackle or middle linebacker with his first-round pick, McKenzie played it close to the vest all offseason then stunned observers when he made the call to go with Ohio State’s Gareon Conley.

The pick raised eyebrows around the league primarily because of the legal situation Conley is dealing with.

The Raiders, however, looked beyond that — McKenzie said he and his staff did extensive research and are confident Conley will be cleared — and saw a promising cornerback who potentially could anchor the back end of the defense for years to come.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s the type of corner you look for,” McKenzie said. “He is hard to get separation from. He can play the deep ball. He can play press. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, and he understands the game. You can tell he loves the game, the way he plays.

“Watching his tape, being around him, interviewing him, it was no question. We had no question about his skillset and his ability to play the game.”