Raiders Draft 2024: Decamerion Richardson has the size, speed no other cornerback has on roster

Tackling is fourth-round pick’s calling card, takeaways should be offseason focus

A throwback to the classic Las Vegas Raiders architype for a defensive back, Decamerion Richardson is indeed as fast as he is big. The fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft brings 4.34 speed and a 6-foot-2 and 188-pound frame from Mississippi State.

Richardson, the 112th overall pick, brings something to the Raiders defensive back room that none of the other 10 cornerbacks on the roster can: That size-speed ratio.

That shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the 23-year-old was rated as the most athletic cornerback at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Garnering a score of 88 from the NFL Next Gen Stats breakdown after clocking in 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 1.48 seconds in the 10-yard split, a 35-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot, 8-inch broad jump, the freak nature of Richardson’s athleticism was on fully display in Indy.

By The Numbers: Decamerion Richardson

• School: Mississippi State
• Position: Cornerback
• Height: 6-foot-2
• Weight: 188 pounds
• 2023 Stats: 79 total tackles (43 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, seven passes defensed
• Career Stats: 177 total tackles (106 solo), 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 10 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery

Day 3 is an apt time to bank on athletic profile, especially for Las Vegas — a team that has a need at cornerback and more explosive athletes at the position. And Richardson is a textbook example of that.

While the Raiders do boast bigger cornerbacks such as veteran Brandon Facyson (6-foot-2, 197 pounds), youngster Sam Webb (6-foot-2, 195), and undrafted rookies Ja’Quan Sheppard (6-foot-2, 202, Maryland), and Rayshad Williams (6-foot-2, 209, Texas Tech), none come close to the pure speed Richardson brings to the table. The closest would be Webb who clocked a 4.48 40 at the combine back in 2022 while Sheppard ran a 4.52 at Maryland’s Pro Day, Williams a 4.57 at Texas Tech’s event, and Facyson a 4.53 back in the 2018 combine.

Speed is definitely a trait Las Vegas needs more of — in all three aspects of the game — and only one incumbent corner bests Richardson in speed: Jakorian Bennett who ran a 4.30 40 in the 2023 combine. Seventh-round pick (229th overall) MJ Devonshire clocked in at 4.45 while nickel corner Nate Hobbs ran the 40 in 4.48 seconds. Of course, timed speed can differ from game speed, but it’s a good indicator of how fast a prospect is.

Especially for a Raiders team that will be tasked with covering two newcomers to the AFC West that are fleet-footed wide receivers in Xavier Worthy (28th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs and ran a 4.21 40) and Ladd McConkey (34th overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers and ran a 4.39 40).

Defensive Fit

Recall Richardson’s athletic score from the combine above? NFL Next Gen Stats bestowed a production score of 59 to the Mississippi State cornerback which ranked 38th out of all prospects at the position. And for good reason.

As a tackler, Richardson is one of the best prospects at the position group doing that. He led all SEC cornerbacks in tackles in back to back seasons with 85 in 2022 and 79 in 2023. And he’s racked up 177 total tackles (106 solo). When Richardson sinks his hands around someone, he rarely looses grip and brings them down for the stop.

This will prove very fruitful for a Raiders defense that seeks defenders to be aggressive, use their speed and instincts to find the ball, and bring down the ballcarrier (while trying to force a turnover, too). Richardson is a productive run defender and attacks with proper angles and using his speed, size, and length to gain the advantage.

Richardson is comfortable operating in both man and zone defenses, which is something Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham switches to in certain situations.

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But the main reason why Richardson’s production score is low: He’s produced zero interceptions in the 45 games he’s played (26 starts). While Richardson led the Bulldogs with seven passes defensed, it’s his struggles finding and tracking the ball downfield in coverage consistently which is his biggest drawback.

Richardson doesn’t have the innate ability to judge the ball location and is late getting his hands up to disrupt the catch point. This can be detrimental to a cornerback that needs to not only predict ball flight, but turn, find the ball, and make a play.

Richardson’s inability to do so resulted in not making quarterbacks pay for mistakes when he was at Mississippi State.

Rookie Outlook

Here’s the good thing for Richardson: Ball skills can be taught.

Head coach Antonio Pierce added Ricky Manning Jr. as cornerbacks coach to his staff and the new assistant produced 14 career interceptions, 33 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles during his six-year playing career in the NFL from 2003 to 2008. Learning the takeaway trade and ball skills from Manning Jr. will help Richardson.

What can’t be taught is the size, length, and speed Richardson brings to the table. He can learn how to play big from a veteran like Facyson while gearing himself up to earn defensive snaps.

Richardson’s biggest 2024 impact likely likes on special teams, where he was a regular contributor at Mississippi State on kick and punt coverage. His straight-line speed can pop out on coverage units. He also returned a blocked field goal 50 yards for a touchdown in 2022 for the Bulldogs.

But Las Vegas may need Richardson to get up to speed on defensive concepts and schemes as the division added explosiveness and home run speed at wide receiver in the draft. Richardson and Bennett are the two that have the fleet feet to match up.

In fact, Richardson met McConkey in college. And while he got chipped by a block (precariously close to an illegal block in the back), you can see what happened below: