While the Las Vegas Raiders have several high draft picks in the secondary, a late-round rookie is stepping up hugely to help the defensive surge.
One of five remaining undefeated teams, the Las Vegas Raiders have been impressive early in the 2021 NFL season. En route to a 3-0 start, they’ve beaten three teams that all won 10 games or more a year ago, speaking to the quality of the victories. And while Derek Carr has played out of his mind, the defense has stepped up in a major way.
A big part of that success is rightfully attributed to Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue consistently generating pressure off the edge. That’s something the Raiders have been lacking for some time but those two players have delivered thus far. At the same time — and possibly in-tandem — the secondary has also stepped up.
Casey Hayward Jr. has legitimately played like a superstar, which he’s always been capable of when healthy. And former second-round pick Trayvon Mullen is playing well opposite of him on the outside. But the lesser-talked-about member of the cornerback group stepping up is fifth-round rookie Nate Hobbs in the slot.
Nate Hobbs has helped shore up the Las Vegas Raiders secondary.
Through three games, Hobbs is the highest-graded rookie cornerback and fourth-highest-graded rookie overall according to PFF. Moreover, he’s also graded out as the eight-best cornerback in the NFL as a whole over three weeks by PFF (subscription required).
As noted by PFF, the most impressive part about what Hobbs has done thus far might be the fact that he didn’t play in the slot in college. But he’s been a lockdown player who’s also more than willing to come up and play effectively against the run. For a late-round pick with little experience at the position, that can’t be understated.
It’s a bit crazy on a team that drafted Damon Arnette in the first round that Hobbs, a fifth-rounder, is able to step up and not only play this big of a role but perform so well in doing so. However, with the way that modern offenses attack out of the slot, the importance of him taking on that role with aplomb can’t be overstated.
For some of the undefeated teams, this 3-0 start could be a mirage. In the case of the Raiders, though, it’s hard to think that’s the case. Not only have they taken down quality competition but they have a defense that’s finally living up to the performance level of an offense that’s been good for several years. And Hobbs coming in and playing as well as he has is a key ingredient for that success.