For a few weeks, we saw steady improvement by Alex Leatherwood at right guard. While he continued to struggle as a pass protector, his ability to open up holes in the run game is what made him a first-round prospect, to begin with.
However, Leatherwood looked like he hit a rookie wall in Week 17 as the defensive line for the Colts had no problem moving him off the ball. It was one of his worst performances of the season as he did not perform well in this contest.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they wrote about every first-round pick’s performance in Week 17. As expected, Leatherwood did not grade out well after allowing several pressures. Here is what the site had to say about his performance on Sunday:
“Leatherwood was back to his baseline of play this week after an impressive performance, relative to the rest of his rookie year, last week. Leatherwood was the Raiders’ lowest-graded offensive lineman against the Colts, earning a 43.1 PFF game grade and surrendering four pressures and a penalty from his snaps. Leatherwood’s play has been problematic this season, but he hasn’t been alone on a rough offensive line.”
The Raiders are hoping that this was just a bump in the road for Leatherwood and that he can get back on track in Week 18 and hopefully in the playoffs. The former first-round pick has had his fair share of struggles during his rookie season.
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