I'm going to have to go with my own experiences picking juries, but I appreciate your thoughts, too. We disagree.
This is a jurisdiction which elects its DA in the Democrat primary. That's good for black defendants, but not high profile white ones accused of raping a black woman from the community.
This is a jurisdiction in which many who might otherwise help the defense's jury pool will not be part of the jury pool because their permanent address is somewhere else, because they're Duke students.
The Townies are going to dominate the jury, and many will have an ax to grind with the privileged students of Duke. This case will bring out stealth jurors, determined to have their moment. I think the defense does better if it moves the trial to another jurisdiction.
Good defense jurors in this case will be the same as good jurors in a big civil case. Give me white men who are professionals, business owners, and such.