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How big a need is cornerback, again, for the Raiders? Very big

CJ Henderson had 11 passes defensed last season and could be an intriguing option for the Raiders at No. 19. Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Can any team have too many cornerbacks?

Wait, I digress. ... Can any team have too many quality cornerbacks?

The Las Vegas Raiders currently have four corners under contract in Trayvon Mullen, Nevin Lawson, Keisean Nixon and Isaiah Johnson, with three others signed to reserve/future contracts in Jordan Brown, Ken Crawley and Dylan Mabin and three more on injured reserve in Makinton Dorleant, D.J. Killings and Nick Nelson.

Daryl Worley? The most seasoned of the group, who also played some safety late last season, is about to hit free agency.

Paging Willie Brown, Skip Thomas, Mike Haynes, Lester Hayes and Nnamdi Asomugha.

Yeah, cornerback is another huge need for the Raiders as they continue their rebuild for their relocation to Southern Nevada.

"Defensively, we're not very good at all," Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said at the NFL scouting combine. "So I kind of go into the defensive side with a mindset of, who helps make us better at any position? We have so many needs over there.

"Really, what we've got to get is more dynamic. We didn't make many plays on defense. We didn't turn the football over on defense. ... We need to get better at all three levels and all 11 positions. On one hand, that kind of helps, because both in the draft and free agency, we need help everywhere. So, we don't have to be real surgical on defense. We just need help everywhere. And we're going to be looking for dynamic guys, both in the draft and free agency that can help us Day 1."

The Raiders were 25th against the pass last season, their nine interceptions ranking 29th in the league. Three picks came from cornerbacks, including one from Gareon Conley, who was traded to the Houston Texans on Oct. 20.

Now, that's not all on the corners, but having blanket coverage on the outside would help, no? And with a pair of first-round picks at Nos. 12 and 19, the Raiders could address said need (though many observers would expect Las Vegas to go receiver or middle linebacker with the earlier pick).

Ohio State's Jeff Okudah figures to be long gone by the time the Raiders pick, so who might be a good fit and worthy of, say, the No. 19 pick?

Florida's CJ Henderson is a possibility, though he could also be gone sooner.

Henderson said he is comfortable playing press man-to-man coverage and said he is not afraid to stick his nose in on tackles while emulating Patrick Peterson's style.

"He's one of my favorites, not only on the field, but off the field he's a great person," Henderson said. "On the field he's very physical. He's athletic. He finds the ball, he gets the ball."

Then there's Alabama's Trevon Diggs, younger brother of Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs.

"I feel like I can play anywhere on the field," Diggs said. "At Alabama, I played both sides of the ball. I'm very versatile, I can play anywhere on the field. I'm confident in my ability."

Especially because he started his college career as a wideout.

“It helped me a lot,” he said. “I can tell what the receiver’s doing by where he’s lined up. I know the whole route tree. I know how many steps it takes to get into a route. I know what foot they put up when they try to run their routes. There’s little things I know that I can pick up on quicker.”

Imagine the Raiders making a trade with the Vikings for the playmaking Diggs and drafting his baby bro, who patterns his game after Jalen Ramsey, Stephon Gilmore and Aqib Talib.

Another intriguing prospect is Clemson's A.J. Terrell.

The first round might be too high for Mullen's former college teammate, but with three third-round selections, it's not hard to see the Raiders trading up into the second round to complete the Clemson homecoming.

"I talked to him early on and Trayvon knows who I am, and being a counterpart to him would be great, too," Terrell said. "We have a relationship that is one-of-a-kind. He's like a big brother to me."

Terrell said his meeting at the combine with the Raiders was "great," and the fact they drafted three of his teammates last year in Mullen, defensive end Clelin Ferrell and receiver Hunter Renfrow makes for a certain familiarity factor.

"We went over a lot of plays and we talked a lot," Terrell said of Raiders coach Jon Gruden. "Of course, the energy [Gruden brings]. He's a solid guy and he always wants the best out of you and I felt that in the meeting. I liked that."

The Raiders, no doubt, would like to add a quality cornerback ... or three.