It’s been quite season for rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs. The fifth-round pick from Illinois not only made the roster in his first year, but he also won the starting slot job over Keisean Nixon and Amik Robertson.
Since then, he’s gone on to start every game for the team and has been the league’s best slot cornerback. He had the best game of his career in Week 9, recording a sack and not allowing a single first down.
But Week 10 was a different story for Hobbs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs beat him a few times as he surrendered the most yards of his young career. Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about his performance against Kansas City:
“Even after a hot start to the year, Hobbs was not above getting torched by Patrick Mahomes, just like the rest of his teammates Sunday night. He yielded the most yards he’s allowed in a single game all season with 70.”
Despite the poor play, Hobbs is still one of the highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL this season. In fact, he is PFF’s eighth-best rookie this season with a grade of 77.6.
All cornerbacks are going to struggle in certain games, especially against former MVP quarterbacks. But what makes a good cornerback is how they bounce back from a bad day.
Hobbs will have another tough assignment in Week 11 as he will face Tyler Boyd and the Bengals. It will be fascinating to see how he performs in this critical AFC matchup.
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