Raiders CB Jakorian Bennett Continuing Productive Season

Las Vegas Raiders CB Jakorian Bennett had a challenging first season in the league. Through two games, the talented cornerback has shown tremendous improvement.

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; h15] can’t secure a a pass as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (0) and safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) defend during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted cornerback Jakorian Bennett in the fourth round of the NFL Draft last year with the expectation that he would one day be a significant contributor to the Raiders’ defense. He would begin his rookie season as a starter but lost the position because of subpar play.

Bennett worked hard this offseason to improve his play on the field. Coach Antonio Pierce said the second-year cornerback is reaping the benefits of the time and work he put in over the offseason.

“Man, like I said, you could see it was a different look, to be honest, in his eyes when he came back in the spring in April, like, 'Ok, he's working hard,'" Pierce said. "You see him, and at the time, we had [Brandon] Facyson here, and he was backing up Facyson, and he just slowly kept chopping wood. And then we got in the preseason and he made that play down in Minnesota on the goal line when they went for it on fourth down. 

“And then just each and every day at practice, he's going against Davante [Adams] and Jakobi [Meyers]. You can see the confidence growing. And then, I'll be honest, it started again last week against the [Los Angeles] Chargers. They took a shot at him just a couple days ago, in Baltimore did the same thing. And what I love about it is he's not panicking, he's playing the ball, he's trusting his speed, he's trusting his technique, and even better - I'm going to go back to what this bad boy is about with us right now is just how our teammates celebrate and encourage him. That's what keeps building the confidence up.”

Pierce noted that despite his development over the offseason, Bennett will still have moments where he gives up receptions and yards to opposing receivers. However, Pierce said that how Bennett responds will ultimately determine his success.

“Now listen, he gave up some catches, too, but he never flinched,” Pierce said. “You can't worry about that. No corner in the National Football League has never given up a catch, so I think his ability to respond, play by play, we talk always about not being good [but] being great, and he's really striving for that."

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