The AFC West is not receiving the same hype that it did a year ago but there are still big names throughout the division that will make the 2023 season compelling. While most fans are focusing on the quarterbacks and other offensive playmakers, the deepest position in the division might be cornerback.
There are a lot of great cornerbacks in the AFC West heading into the 2023 season as that is what is needed to compete in the loaded division and conference. Ranking the teams against each other can be a very hard task as it is going to feel like someone gets left out or underrated.
Just like we have with AFC West head coaches and other positions on the offensive side of the ball, let's continue our series with the first defensive position ranking. Here are the AFC West cornerback rooms, ranked.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
- David Long Jr, Duke Shelley, Nate Hobbs, Brandon Facyson, Jakorian Bennett, Amik Robertson
Remember how we said one team would get left out and get underrated? Well, that was not including the Las Vegas Raiders, as they have the worst cornerback room in the division and it is not even close. This is a bottom-five cornerback room in the entire league and it pails in comparison to the rest of the division.
Every other team in the division has a great cornerback room. The third-ranked team on this list is miles ahead of the Raiders and is just marginally worse than the second-ranked team. Vegas is going to get picked apart defensively in 2023 in large part due to the lack of talent at corner.
One name that could develop nicely for Vegas is Jakorian Bennett, who had the kind of athletic traits that Brandon Staley has valued in LA. On the right team, the rookie Bennett can develop into an impact corner. But it won't happen in 2023.