In just one offseason, the Raiders have completely revamped their secondary. It started with the draft as they added two defensive backs in Trevon Moehrig and Nate Hobbs. After the draft, they signed Casey Hayward and those three moves have been a game-changer for the Raiders.
Hobbs and Hayward have been two of the league’s best cornerbacks this season and Moehrig has been stable as the team’s free safety. The former TCU safety is coming off his best game as a pro, recording an interception against the Broncos.
In a recent article by Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, he looked at some of the top rookie performances from Week 6 and a few young players who have stood out so far this season.
“Two of the three highest-graded starting defenders in this rookie class reside in the Las Vegas Raiders‘ secondary. Nate Hobbs has been a revelation since the preseason at slot corner, while Trevon Moehrig is already a far more consistent presence than Johnathan Abram has ever been. Moehrig hauled in a pick and broke up a pass this past weekend against the Denver Broncos. PFF’s top safety in the 2021 class has allowed only three catches on seven targets for 21 yards for the year. Both have been necessary additions to a much-maligned unit.”
With the play of these two rookies, the Raiders have to be feeling really good about their secondary going forward. Even without Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette, the unit is playing really well.
The job isn’t finished as they need to continue to add depth at defensive back over the next few offseasons. However, this is a much-improved group compared to how they looked and played at this time last season.
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