Damon Arnette
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| No. 20 – Las Vegas Raiders | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 2, 1996 |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) |
| College: | Ohio State |
| NFL draft: | 2020 / round: 1 / pick: 19 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Damon Arnette (born September 2, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Early years and high school
Arnette was born in Dallas, Texas and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when he was two years old.[1] He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where he played linebacker and wide receiver for the Raiders.[2] He was named honorable mention Class 8A-7A-6A All-County as a senior and helped lead the team to a state championship. Rated a three-star recruit, Arnette originally committed to play college football at South Carolina during the summer going into his senior year before changing his commitment to Ohio State on national signing day.[3]
College career
Arnette redshirted his true freshman season after a bone chip was discovered in his tibia during training camp.[2] He played in 13 of Ohio State's games the following season as a key reserve at defensive back and recorded 21 tackles with one interception.[4] As a redshirt sophomore, Arnette started 12 of the Buckeyes 14 games and led the team's cornerbacks with 44 tackles with two interceptions and eight passes broken up and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference.[5][6] Arnette was again named honorable mention as a junior, 40 tackles and one interception in 13 games played.[7][8] Arnette originally planned to leave school and forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2019 NFL draft, but eventually decided to return to Ohio State for his final year of eligibility.[9]
Arnette scored his first career touchdown on September 14, 2019 on a 97-yard interception return against Indiana.[10] Arnette was named second team All-Big Ten at the end of the season, recording 35 tackles, eight passes defended and one interception while playing with a broken wrist.[11][12][13]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) |
195 lb (88 kg) |
30 in (0.76 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.56 s | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[14] | ||||||||||||
Arnette was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round with the 19th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.[15] The Raiders previously obtained the 19th selection as part of the trade that sent Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears in 2018.
References
- ^ Landis, Bill (August 28, 2019). "The hard truths that brought Damon Arnette back to Ohio State". The Athletic. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Rabinowitz, Bill (November 8, 2019). "How waiting has paid off for Ohio State's Damon Arnette". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Nate (February 2, 2015). "Ohio State earns commitment from Thomas Aquinas CB Damon Arnette". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Haritz, Ian (October 31, 2016). "Ohio State's Raekwon McMillan is making game-changing plays on a weekly basis". LandGrantHolyLand.com. SB Nation. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Murphy, Patrick (June 8, 2018). "Damon Arnette is ready to emerge as the next Buckeye CB star". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "OSU's Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Denzel Ward named media's first team All-Big Ten on defense: Buckeyes football news".
- ^ Hartman, Marcus (August 7, 2019). "Ohio State football: Damon Arnette back to rewrite his story, boost Buckeyes secondary". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "12 Ohio State defenders earn All-Big Ten honors". WKRC.com. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Helwagen, Steve (January 11, 2019). "After considering NFL jump, Arnette opts to return to Ohio State". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Baird, Nathan (September 18, 2019). "Ohio State football's Damon Arnette backing up his decision to remain a Buckeye". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ Murphy, Patrick (December 3, 2019). "Seven Buckeyes receive All-Big Ten honors". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ Rowland, Kyle (December 7, 2019). "Broken wrist no problem for Ohio State's Arnette". The Blade. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ Goul, Matt (March 10, 2020). "Damon Arnette, Ohio State CB: 2020 NFL Draft profile". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Damon Arnette Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ White, R.J. (April 23, 2020). "2020 NFL Draft grades: Raiders get a 'B' for selecting Damon Arnette at No. 19 overall". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 23, 2020.