The Las Vegas Raiders completed the NFL Draft on Saturday with their final three selections, adding two more players to their secondary and another option at center. They entered the day with four selections but sent picks Nos. 162 and 200 to the Jets in return for pick No. 143. Overall, general manager Mike Mayock and coach Jon Gruden added seven players in the draft.
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The Raiders checked their two biggest boxes — a starting right tackle and starting free safety — during the first two days of the draft when they selected Alex Leatherwood and Trevon Moehrig. The rest of the draft was all about adding depth and players the Raiders hope can carve out roles. Here’s a review of their selections.
The picks
- Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama, Round 1, Pick No. 17
- Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU, Round 2, Pick No. 43
- Malcolm Koonce, DE, Buffalo, Round 3, Pick No. 79
- Divine Deablo, LB/S, Virginia Tech, Round 3, Pick No. 80
- Tyree Gillespie, S, Missouri, Round 4, Pick No. 143
- Nate Hobbs, CB, Illinois, Round 5, Pick 167
- Jimmy Morrissey, C, Pittsburgh, Round 7, Pick 230
Best pick: Trevon Moehrig
The Raiders had Moehrig as a first-round talent on their board and, like many external evaluators, had him pegged as the No. 1 safety prospect in the draft class. The fact that he was the third safety off the board was surprising, but that’s what helped enable them to land him at No. 43. General manager Mike Mayock said Jeff Heath will be given the chance to hold on to the starting free safety role, but, let’s be real, that’s Moehrig’s job now.
Moehrig played in a 4-2-5 base defense in college but mostly lined up in two-high-safety coverages, so he’ll have to adjust to fit within defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s single-high-safety, Cover 3 scheme. He has the range, athleticism, speed and versatility to pull off that transition and has the potential to have an immediate positive impact in Year 1. Obviously, this all changes if his back injury is an issue — but both the Raiders and Moehrig said there is zero concern.
Biggest surprises: Alex Leatherwood / Malcolm Koonce
It has to be Leatherwood. No one had him going as high as 17th, and Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw and Oklahoma State’s Tevin Jenkins were seen as better prospects. The Raiders considered trading down to get him but didn’t like the offers, stayed put and got their guy. They couldn’t have gone that far back, as league sources said the Ravens were planning to take him at 27. Leatherwood is a dominant run blocker whom offensive line coach Tom Cable fell in love with, and the Raiders wanted another tackle cornerstone to pair with Kolton Miller. They hope they got a younger, more reliable and slightly smaller version of Trent Brown.
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— Vic Tafur
At least some evaluators had Leatherwood projected to go in the first round in mock drafts; Koonce was off the radar in the third round. For context, The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler had Koonce rated as his 200th overall prospect coming into the draft. Especially since edge rushers such as Pittsburgh’s Patrick Jones and Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins and other talented defensive players were still on the board, this one floored me. Most likely, Koonce could’ve been had in the fifth round. In retrospect, this is the Raiders, so perhaps I shouldn’t have been too shocked. Ideally, Koonce develops into a rotational speed rusher behind Yannick Ngakoue, whom Mayock compared him to, and Maxx Crosby.
— Tashan Reed
Biggest question marks: Alex Leatherwood / Malcolm Koonce and Divine Deablo
Leatherwood began his college career at guard before transitioning to left tackle and starting there for his final two seasons. He should be able to transition to right tackle, but there are questions about whether guard is where he would thrive the most in the long run. He’s athletic but has some lower-body stiffness and relies more on technique to ward off edge rushers. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if he wound up at guard for the Raiders, but that’s not what they had in mind when they took him 17th. If everything goes to plan, though, Leatherwood and Miller will be the bookends of the offensive line for years to come.
— Reed
Mayock talked a big game last year about his three third-round picks and how it was stealing to get three starters. He’ll be lucky to go 1-for-3, as Lynn Bowden Jr. was traded almost immediately, Tanner Muse looked lost in training camp and missed the season due to injury and Bryan Edwards showed flashes but again had injury problems, a disturbing trend for him. Koonce takes over Arden Key’s spot as a potential impact pass rusher, and Key at least had success against much tougher college competition. Deablo is moving from safety to linebacker — just like Muse did — and if he starts calling himself a “Special Teams War Daddy,” things could get really awkward. Mayock said he is a future starter at Will linebacker. We’ll see.
— Tafur
Needs left unaddressed during the draft?
Not really. The Raiders came into the draft with needs for starters at right tackle and free safety and filled both of those through Leatherwood and Moehrig. You could throw nickelback in that group, too, but they added Hobbs and both Nevin Lawson and Amik Robertson already fill that role on the roster. From there, it was all about adding quality depth with long-term upside. We’ll have to wait to see if they’ve pulled that off, but they at least checked all the positional boxes and wisely focused on the defense after an abysmal year on that side of the ball in 2020.
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How has the outlook for the season changed?
The situation is the same: Playoffs or bust. The Raiders will need a bunch of things to go right for that to happen, of course, but from a personnel standpoint, there are no longer any glaring needs on either side of the ball. Now, it comes down to the development of the returning young players — you think Johnathan Abram noticed all the potential strong safeties they brought in recently? — drastically improved contributions from recent free-agency additions and an influx of rookie talent. From there, it’s on Gruden and the rest of the coaching staff to make it work.
That won’t be easy as the defending conference champion Chiefs and the rest of the AFC West all seemingly got better, but this is Year 4 of Gruden’s second stint with the franchise and it’s time for a playoff berth, let alone a winning record. The immediate returns from this draft class will play a pivotal role in that outcome. Especially following disappointing results from the 2018 and 2020 classes, no one will want to hear any more excuses from those in charge if they fall short.
(Top photo of Trevon Moehrig: TCU Athletics)