Was Damon Arnette a reach for Raiders? Depends on who you ask

Josh Jacobs was a running back for the Raiders last season. He burst onto the scene faster than NFL commissioner Roger Goodell weirdly changed clothes during the virtual first round of the draft Thursday.

Jacobs tore it up. He broke the team rookie rushing record with 1,150 yards, surpassing a fairly well-known guy named Marcus Allen.

Jacobs also was drafted No. 24 overall.

Which, by the way, many considered a reach.

Not to the level of Damon Arnette, the Ohio State cornerback selected No. 19 by the Raiders. Not that big of one.

Here are a few signs why folks might believe Las Vegas chose Arnette far too early: Of the 58 prospects sent video kits by the league to record their reactions if selected in the first round, he wasn’t one. That, and local media received the team’s draft hat way before he did. I just hope the Raiders have found an address in which to send it.

This is as much spring passage as pollen allergies. Each year, Goodell kicks off the draft by being booed more than Mountain West referees and, inevitably, a team takes a player who elicits somewhat of a universal reaction: Huh?

Basically, a reach is considered a pick not worth the value of where he goes. Basically, the feeling is a team could have waited and still drafted him later. Basically, this is one of those subjective measures in sports.

Which means nobody knows anything. Not for certain.

Most mock drafts assessed Arnette a third-round pick. Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden obviously disagreed. The general manager and coach of the Raiders filled a need at cornerback. Who they filled it with is where outside doubt crept in.

“The reason he’s not a reach is because of his grade in our system,” Mayock said. “Did I think we could have moved down maybe and still get him? Maybe, but we didn’t want to lose him. What distinguishes him is No. 1, he can run; and No. 2, he’s tough as nails.

“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. So, to answer your question, we don’t feel at all like it was a reach.”

Every draft board is different. All 32 of them. Each evaluation generates varying opinions about prospects based on team needs and collected data.

How detailed is the process? More than 250 players are drafted. But teams might have boards of only 150 or so players listed, specific to what each views current strengths and weaknesses.

The Raiders might have been the only team to have graded Arnette a first-round talent. OK, so there’s a better chance they did than CNN playing a certain mayoral interview on a continuous loop.

But many labeled Jacobs an early second-round pick. He then played way above his first-round standing. The Raiders also took defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall last season, another spot many considered too high. He didn’t play at all to that level as a rookie.

Prove yourself

It can go both ways. Here’s the interesting part about being thought a reach: You always are. Forever. No matter how successful — or not — a player you become. There are Hall of Famers still referred to as draft reaches.

Arnette, then, is left with the same challenge as many before: Prove correct the team that selected you. In his case, win the starting job opposite second-year cornerback Trayvon Mullen. Be the sort of defensive back the Raiders so badly need.

You say reach and I think of grabbing more toppings for my froYo. This is when value really exists in the eye of the beholder, and the only vision that matters in this case is that of Mayock and Gruden.

“We had a bunch of calls from teams that wanted to move up (in the first round) at different times for specific players,” Mayock said. “We probably could have moved down if we wanted to at 19, but again we hung in there and we took the guy we wanted to take.”

The mocks, the gurus, the analysts, maybe even Goodell when relaxing on that leather recliner during commercial breaks, insist Arnette is a reach.

He most assuredly is based on the forecast of everyone not associated with the Raiders.

Good news for them. Until proved otherwise, that doesn’t mean squat.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.