After winning their second preseason game 17-16 over the Los Angeles Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders’ morale is high. As such, there are many takeaways to have from this game. Here are three things we learned from the nail-biting victory.Â
Alex Leatherwood will be just fine
Considered the worst pick of the first round back in April, Leatherwood has been good so far in 2021. While far from perfect, he has displayed promising development early in his career. The touted run blocker showed those skills again on Saturday, routinely moving the Rams’ defenders off the line of scrimmage. Perhaps the biggest compliment to give Leatherwood at this point is that he looks much better than his competition, as he should.
Nate Hobbs is for real
On Saturday night, Nate Hobbs stole the show. It started early on for the young corner after he blew up a screenplay in the first quarter. After that, the hits just kept coming. Of course, it all culminated in a beautiful interception on a deep ball. On the play, he displayed ball skills not seen from Raiders corners in a long time. The passion Hobbs plays with is always clearly evident and is the biggest reason he deserves to be the starting slot corner. His competition, Amik Robertson and Nevin Lawson have done nothing to prove they deserve the starting spot.
.@Raiders DB Nate Hobbs got Jalen Ramsey's attention with this INT. @based_nvte
📺: #LVvsLAR on @NFLNetwork (or check local listings)
📱: https://t.co/aybjCm1SLo pic.twitter.com/CWvTxZK5jd— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2021
The linebacker depth must improve
Following the unfortunate injury to second-year man Javin White, the Raiders badly need linebacker help. With White presumably out for the foreseeable future and Nicholas Morrow hurt as well, the Raiders had to play Tanner Muse for much of the game. Las Vegas would be wise to finally seal the deal with former Seahawk K.J. Wright. Not only would he be one of the better defensive players on the team, but he’d also give the team some bodies to rely on while the group heals up.
*Top Photo: Courtesy of Raiders official website