For the first two days of the draft, I collected draft grades and analysis for the Raiders four picks in those rounds. Starting with 17th overall pick OT Alex Leatherwood, then second round pick S Trevon Moehrig, and finally third round picks DE Malcolm Koonce and LB Divine Deablo.
Day three was a day for flyers and (hopefully) steals. The Raiders grabbed three more players in the final four rounds. They were S Tyree Gillespie (143), CB Nate Hobbs (167), and C Jimmy Morrissey (230).
With the entire class today, I went around the NFL media once again to see how they grade the class as a whole and what they had to say about it. There were no A grades, but otherwise, they were somewhat varying in their opinions.
Luke Easterling, Draft Wire – C
This was a roller-coaster. Alex Leatherwood was a reach in the first round, but at least he filled a massive need. Trading up to steal Trevon Moehrig was a huge win, but while Divine Deablo and Tyree Gillespie are solid prospects, spending three of your seven total picks on safeties is an odd strategy, to say the least. Malcolm Koonce was a big reach at defensive end when they needed interior help, but Jimmy Morrissey is an underrated center who gave them great value in the seventh.
Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire – C
After the Raiders selected Alabama offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood with the 17th overall pick, there was a piece on the team’s official site pre-emptively slamming the “draft experts” who had already called the pick a massive reach. Of course, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock used to be one of the most prominent draft experts before he got his current gig, and Leatherwood was my 10th offensive tackle in this class, so that’s how I feel about that.
But then, the Raiders managed to absolutely steal TCU safety Trevon Moehrig, my top-ranked safety, with the 43rd overall pick. Now, how much credit do we want to give the team for overdrafting their first-round pick, and then bumping into their first-round talent in the second round? Is it better to be lucky than good? Perhaps.
Beyond that, the Raiders went back to the future by selecting a pass-rusher from Buffalo — but Malcolm Koonce is no Khalil Mack. Instead, he’s a reasonably productive player with nice athletic traits and a real need to get stronger against the run. Koonce is an appropriate third-round pick as a result. New defensive coordinator Gus Bradley might see the second coming of Kam Chancellor in third-round safety Divine Deablo, who hits like a linebacker, and covers like a… well, linebacker. As has been the case through the Gruden/Mayock era, there’s the Raiders’ concept of positional value, and there’s everybody else’s.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com – B
I graded Leatherwood as a late first-round pick, so the Raiders’ selection of him with the 17th overall choice was a bit surprising, but not a shock. We’ll see if the more highly-graded tackle Christian Darrisaw (who went to the Vikings at No. 23) becomes a better player over time. Trading up for Moehrig will prove to be a good move if his back-injury situation does not develop into a future issue, and Koonce and Deablo (likely moving to linebacker) will meet front-seven needs in 2021 and beyond.
The Raiders made sure to get depth at safety by giving up multiple late-round picks to secure Gillespie, a worthy fourth-round selection, although the cost was forgoing a sixth-round pick and a chance to improve other parts of the roster. Las Vegas found a good athlete and a competitive cornerback in Hobbs in the fifth. The team picked up an intelligent and mobile center in Morrissey despite signing Nick Martin and showing great confidence in Andre James.
Danny Kelly, The Ringer – B-
The Leatherwood pick felt like a reach. The Moehrig pick was excellent value. We’ll call that a wash, as both players should start for the Raiders as rookies. Meanwhile, Koonce and Deablo offer depth for this season and the potential to emerge as something more down the line. Add it all up, and this was a solid if unspectacular weekend for Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock.
Pro Football Focus – C
Day 1: The Las Vegas Raiders have a glaring need at right tackle and made a point to revamp their offensive line this offseason, but there won’t be many who have Alex Leatherwood ranked ahead of Christian Darrisaw and a few others still on the board. Leatherwood comes from a blue-blood program, and that may be coveted more than usual in this unique draft, but he was the No. 9-ranked tackle on PFF’s Big Board and had major issues in pass protection.
Day 2: Moehrig was the heavy favorite to become the first safety off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft. Instead, he’s the third safety off the board here to Las Vegas behind both Jevon Holland and Richie Grant. Moehrig brings some much-needed playmaking ability in coverage to the Raiders secondary, but it remains to be seen how he fits in Gus Bradley’s defense after playing in a split-field safety defense at TCU. There’s reason to believe he can have success as a single-high safety with his size, smarts and explosiveness.
The Raiders test the waters on a very productive pass rusher with Koonce. . . He was a reach of about 90 spots according to the PFF Big Board. Classic Raiders. Right now he’s a third-down player until he puts on NFL muscle.
In a perfect universe, Deablo transitions to linebacker in the NFL and uses his relative speed and explosiveness for the position to become a good modern NFL linebacker.
Connor Orr, Sports Illustrated – C
I don’t have a problem with the Raiders continuously bucking the NFL consensus and turning heads with their first-round picks. When said picks are criticized the rebuttal often includes some accusation of Raider hating and the fact that Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock simply have a different way of grading talent.
All of this is fine if and when we see the evidence. Yes, they’ve drafted some good players, but the Raiders have had some very high-profile whiffs with their stockpile of first-round equity. Until this roster begins to resemble the swaggering youth movement that Gruden envisioned when he dealt some of the franchise’s best players, they will be ripe for criticism.
On a bright note, Trevon Moehrig falling enough to get into trading distance was a boon. Despite some health issues, he could help get their secondary back on track.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News – D (worst)
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock had a rough time with this one. Leatherwood was a big-time reach vs. edge or outside linebacker help. Moehrig was an awesome pick, but then they Raiders went inexplicably safety-happy, with an overrated linebacker in between. Despite interior offensive line and defensive tackle being glaring needs, only their final pick addressed either position. In relation to the Chargers, Chiefs and Broncos faring so well in this draft form the AFC West, this was an awful overall haul before hosting the event in 2022.
Mel Kiper, ESPN – B-
Under coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock, the Raiders have been tough to predict ahead of the draft. The Clelin Ferrell pick at No. 4 overall two years ago came out of nowhere. They traded 2020 third-round pick Lynn Bowden Jr. before he even played a game. They have struggled to build a playoff contender, even after starting 6-3 a year ago.
So they surprised me again on Thursday, taking Alex Leatherwood (17) a full round ahead of where I had graded him. I’m not sold on him being able to hold up as the run tackle, where the Raiders want to play him (he played left tackle and right guard at Bama). I thought maybe he’d have to move to guard. If there’s one thing I know about Gruden after working with him on the draft for several years, it’s that he likes football guys. Players who eat, sleep and breathe football, and tough players who will set the tone. Leatherwood eliminates defenders in the run game, but he needs to move his feet better as a pass protector. There were better offensive linemen on the board, and Teven Jenkins had experience at right tackle.
On Day 2, though? I liked the top picks! Trevon Moehrig (43) should start over Jeff Heath at free safety. He’s a ballhawk. I’m really high on the upside of edge rusher Malcolm Koonce (79), though he’ll need to put on some weight to play defensive end in the Raiders’ 4-3. He is relentless. Both of these picks were stellar values on my board.
Mayock and Gruden took two more safeties — Divine Deablo (80) and Tyree Gillespie (143) — and both were reaches on my board, but it’s clear they’re trying to upgrade what was a porous secondary a year ago.
The Raiders parted ways with Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson and Trent Brown, so O-line was a need, but Leatherwood has to be above-average as a rookie to make the pick worth it. I don’t see it.
Arif Hasan, The Athletic — 31st
The Raiders had the single-biggest value loss of the draft with Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood — a criticism GM Mike Mayock knew was coming — and that pick comprises a significant part of the reason they ended up on the bottom of the list, though picking edge rusher Malcolm Koonce from Buffalo didn’t help.