Raiders

Reviewing 2021 Raiders Rookie Class Through Four Weeks

Through the first four weeks of the season, the Las Vegas Raiders’ draft class has elicited many emotions from fans. Here is how each player has fared so far. 

Alex Leatherwood (First Round)

Once considered the biggest reach of the first round, Alex Leatherwood has struggled so far. As expected, he has been solid in the run game. His mammoth size and long arms have helped him in this regard. However, many also expected he would struggle against NFL speed and this has rung true so far.

In his first month in the NFL, Leatherwood has been forced through a gauntlet of the NFL’s best pass rushers as he has faced Justin Houston, T.J. Watt, and Joey Bosa so far. To say he has struggled would be an understatement. In fact, he has been given a 31.1 grade from Pro Football Focus which is dead last in the NFL. Of course, it has only been four games and with recent word that he could be moving to guard, the book is certainly not closed on him. Alas, to this point, it’s hard to give this pick anything but an F.

GRADE: F

Tre’von Moehrig (Second Round)

Moehrig’s selection was given the complete opposite reception when compared to Leatherwood. Often noted as one of the drafts’ biggest steals, he has been a starter at safety for the Raiders since Day 1. While his tackling hasn’t always been perfect, he has been very reliable in coverage. The Raiders drafted him out of TCU to be the rock of a safety group that has been a revolving door in recent times, and he looks well on his way to doing just that.

GRADE: B

Malcolm Koonce (Third Round)

Selected with the pick that was received from Arizona in exchange for Rodney Hudson, Koonce hasn’t done anything in the NFL so far. Inactive for all four weeks of his career, his grade is TBD.

GRADE: TBD

Divine Deablo (Third Round)

Drafted as a safety/linebacker hybrid, Deablo has played sparingly so far. The former Hokie has one tackle and no starts. Similar to Koonce, we don’t have enough to go on yet although you would expect more contributions from third-round picks.

GRADE: TBD

Tyree Gillespie (Fourth Round)

Mostly a special team’s guy so far, the Raiders have not had a need for Gillespie on defense yet this year. Another draft pick providing almost no real value, Raiders fans would like to see more from the middle of this draft class.

GRADE: TBD

Nate Hobbs (Fifth Round)

Hey look, a solid contributor in the late rounds! Truthfully, Hobbs is the bright spot of this draft class. After a dominant preseason, Hobbs earned the starting slot corner job and has never relinquished it. A solid tackler and coverage player, Hobbs has been one of the best players on the Raiders’ defense this season. With a 76.2 PFF grade, Hobbs is looking to be one of the steals of the entire draft.

GRADE: A+

Jimmy Morrissey (Seventh Round)

A seventh-round flier, Morrissey has been on the Raiders practice squad all season. With the struggles of Andre James and the rest of the interior offensive line, he could soon be called upon. However, at this point, he has done nothing in the NFL.

GRADE: TBD

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*Top Photo: Michael Clemens/Las Vegas Raiders 

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