Mike Mayock Excited for Competition in Secondary

Mike Mayock has molded the Las Vegas Raiders' roster and is excited about the secondary competition.

Anyone who watched the then-Oakland Raiders play last season could tell that the most significant areas of improvement heading into this year would be rebuilding one of the lesser defensive units in the league. The new Las Vegas Raiders went about that heavily this offseason, making defense a primary focus in free agency and the NFL Draft.

Through this improvement, the team anticipates a lot better competition on that side of the ball once training camp starts, and General Manager Mike Mayock already has his eyes set on one position group.

"I am most anxious to see the secondary … we've got some good young talent, and I am anxious to see who competes," Mayock said in an interview with The Athletic. "It's awesome to have (Prince) Amukamara because he brings a veteran presence, but we have a bunch of really young corners, and safeties that we think have some talent."

Amukamara gives this team an experienced corner who's been productive for about a decade now. That'll be important considering that most of the other corners the Raiders have been in their second year or lower. 2019 second-round pick Trayvon Mullen would likely be in the lead as the starter for the spot opposite Amukamara, with this first year's rounder Damon Arnette potentially pushing his way into the conversation.

Other than those three, second-year players Isaiah Johnson and Keisan Nixon will be fighting for playing time, especially since the slot will likely be veteran Lamarcus Joyner's to lose. The safety position will also likely be contested, as free agent signings Damarious Randall and Jeff Heath will join another first-round pick from last year in Jonathan Abram and Erik Harris.

We'd previously gone over Mayock's thoughts on how Abram and Randall could fit together, but it's not like Harris or Heath won't have something to say about it. In any case, with this kind of competition, the Raiders might have finally found the depth on defense that it sorely lacked a year ago. 

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