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For all the grief the Raiders received for taking tackle Alex Leatherwood in the first round, they are equally getting praise for trading up and landing arguably the draft’s top safety in the second round.
Many draft projections had Trevon Moehrig as the top safety in this draft. Some had him going in the mid-first round, many of whom had the Raiders taking him at No. 17 overall.
When he slipped out of the first round, he was one of the best prospects on the board and my top prospect in terms of fits for the Raiders’ needs. Ten picks into the round, Moehrig was still on the board. In fact, two other safeties had been selected already.
With the 49ers’ pick at 43 upcoming, the Raiders made their move, jumping up from 48 to get their guy. And it only cost them their fourth-round pick, leaving their picks at No. 79 and No. 80 intact.
Why was he still on the board and watched two other safeties taken ahead of him? Ian Rapoport has the answer. It was medical-related.
The #Raiders took TCU S Trevon Moehrig. Why did Moehrig slide to No. 43? Source said he injured his back while training. He wore tape on it at his workout, scouts noticed, then got an MRI that revealed some issues. Clearly affected his stock.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 1, 2021
This certainly affected his numbers in those workouts. So long as it’s not considered long-term, who cares?
Moehrig has not only long been considered the best safety in this draft, but he’s also been considered the ideal single-high safety for the 4-2-5 defense Gus Bradley likes to play.
It’s a win all around. And whether the Raiders cared about redeeming themselves with this pick, that may be just what they did. Tackle and safety were their two biggest needs. The two positions I had them addressing in the first two rounds, in that order.
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