Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Early standouts in 2021 training camp

1. Alex Leatherwood, OT

We touched on this earlier when talking about Hobbs but the first-round pick in 2021 that the Raiders made which came under immense scrutiny was Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood. The match was obvious given Gruden and Mike Mayock’s affinity for college stars from 5-star programs but most people perceived it as an absolute reach at No. 17 overall.

From what we’re hearing out of Raiders training camp, though, it might not have been a reach at all. Though the pads haven’t come on and that could determine a lot about the perception of Leatherwood heading into his rookie season, what we’ve seen thus far has been impressive. He’s moving fluidly and well at the right tackle spot and is already seemingly entrenched in the offense, as reported by Tashan Reed of The Athletic (subscription required).

What’s truly optimistic about Leatherwood doing what he has thus far is that his foot speed and fluidity were actually big concerns for him coming into the 2021 draft. He is a powerful player when the pads are on and that showed at Alabama. But if he’s also showing worthwhile quickness in his feet, that could make him a massive asset.

The Raiders are not strangers to having first-round tackles prove doubters wrong as there was a similar narrative surrounding left tackle Kolton Miller coming into his NFL career. He has more than come along and become a terrific bookend tackle. Though it’s early, Leatherwood may be on the same trajectory already.