Las Vegas Raiders

Free-agent cornerback Casey Hayward has agreed to a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders worth up to $4 million, ESPN's Josina Anderson reported Tuesday.

Hayward made 14 appearances for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, finishing with 41 tackles, eight pass breakups and one interception.    

The 31-year-old reached back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2016 and 2017 and led the NFL with seven interceptions in 2016. In general, he had been excellent in pass coverage entering 2020.

Casey Hayward Jr. = 🔒 pic.twitter.com/jbBKXpGGn8

— PFF (@PFF) June 8, 2020

That changed last year even though the Chargers finished ninth in passing yards allowed (223.6 per game).

Pro Football Focus ranked Hayward as the No. 125 free agent, noting his grade had slipped to 59.5 and he had allowed five touchdowns.

While he may not be on the right side of the aging curve, the 5'11", 192-pounder might be able to put together at least one more productive season. Anderson noted he has a rapport with Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and defensive backs coach Ron Milus, who both coached him on the Chargers.

Hayward will be tasked with helping turn around a defense that surrendered 263.3 yards per game through the air (26th) and allowed an opponent passer rating of 95.3 (21st) in 2020.

Las Vegas wasn't too aggressive in free agency, adding corner Rasul Douglas and safety Karl Joseph and re-signing corner Nevin Lawson on one-year deals. The team then selected three safeties (Trevon Moehrig, Divine Deablo and Tyree Gillespie) in the first four rounds of the draft.

When the Las Vegas Raiders were on the clock for the first time in the 2021 NFL draft, they selected offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood at No. 17 overall.

The decision was the most surprising move of the draft to coaches and general managers around the league, according to Peter King of ProFootballTalk.

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department ranked Leatherwood as the No. 35 overall prospect in the draft and No. 7 at his position. Numerous players ranked above him—Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins, Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw, Notre Dame's Liam Eichenberg and Florida's Stone Forsythe—were still on the board at the time.

The Raiders weren't surprised by the reaction to the pick.

"We knew it would be controversial," general manager Mike Mayock said Thursday, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We completely understand that."

The 6'5", 312-pound Florida native, who won the Outland Trophy as the country's top interior lineman, wasn't shocked to be selected 17th overall, telling reporters he didn't pay much attention to mock drafts and what the media was saying (h/t Bonsignore).

Mayock said offensive line coach Tom Cable had "been all over him for months now." While the selection could pay dividends in the end, King wrote that the GMs and coaches he polled weren't ready to assume that based on the Raiders' track record with their recent first-round selections.

Defensive end Clelin Ferrell went No. 4 overall to the Raiders in 2019 despite being considered a late first-round talent, and they selected cornerback Damon Arnette at No. 19 overall in 2020 even though he didn't have a consensus first-round projection.

That said, the Raiders may be justified this time since teams that picked late in the first round told ESPN draft analyst Jim Nagy they had Leatherwood on their boards.

While the Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly "happy" with Derek Carr as their starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers is reportedly "intrigued" by the idea of playing for the franchise.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter that Las Vegas could be a destination for the disgruntled league MVP:

"[Aaron Rodgers] is reportedly intrigued by the Raiders as well, so they have to be on this list. They're happy with Derek Carr; nothing's going on right now, and they very well could extend Derek Carr sometime soon. But the Raiders look into every single quarterback situation. ... They looked at past free agents or trade options. So, Jon Gruden is sort of always lurking. You can't discount them."

Fowler went on to say the Raiders also heavily scouted Trey Lance before the 2021 NFL draft. Lance went No. 3 overall to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday.

"I was asking around about Trey Lance before the draft, and I was told the Raiders were one of the teams that looked most closely at Lance—did a ton of research on all the quarterbacks."

Carr has been the Raiders starting quarterback for the last seven seasons.  The Raiders have a 47-63 record with Carr as their starter over that timeframe, though he's rarely at fault. Carr threw for 4,103 yards and 27 touchdowns against nine interceptions last season, providing a steady hand under center while also taking more chances down the field.

That said, the Raiders have long been tempted by higher-end talent under center. There has been a near-constant stream of speculation about Carr's status with the franchise since Jon Gruden returned as coach, though the team has never made any serious moves to usurp him as starter. 

Rodgers is the type of quarterback the Raiders would have to jump at the chance to acquire. With the Packers already having Jordan Love in the fold as their long-term solution, the Raiders could hold onto Carr initially before flipping him to recoup some of the draft compensation lost by trading for Rodgers. It's almost certain the Raiders could get one, if not two, first-round picks for Carr

HEIGHT: 6'4 5/8"

WEIGHT: 245 lbs

       

POSITIVES

—Above-average height, weight and length who can hold up as a Y TE.

—Productive in the passing game with good, natural hands. Comfortable snatching throws away from his body that helps on intermediate routes and in contested catch situations.

—Flashes good initial pop and toughness with his blocking. His play strength will also show up with the ball in his hands, can be a load to tackle.

         

NEGATIVES

—Old for draft class. Will turn 26 his rookie season.

—Will end up on the ground a lot when blocking in the run game. Lacks overwhelming length or athleticism to consistently sustain.

—Lack of adequate athleticism hinders his upside in the passing game.

     

2019 STATISTICS

12 G, 47 rec., 688 yards, 14.6 avg., 4 TD

     

NOTES

—Missed 2020 season due to a ruptured Achilles. 

—Went on a two-year LDS mission before enrolling at BYU.

—Also played baseball at BYU.

      

OVERALL

Matt Bushman had a very productive career at BYU before an injury took away his senior season. Bushman plays with good competitiveness and toughness in his play and shows some route-running ability with his good feel for soft spaces versus zone coverage.

He has natural hands and can consistently maximize his catching range with his hand-eye coordination and above-average length. Bushman is built like a Y, but his game is more like an F, where the issue is that he is an average overall athlete whose deficiencies show up in route running versus man coverage and with his ability to bend and sustain in the run game. This will only get harder after his Achilles injury in 2020.

Overall, Bushman has enough size, toughness and production to be worthy of a look, but he is an old prospect coming off a serious injury, which will hinder his upside.

       

GRADE: 6.4/10 (Round 7)

OVERALL RANK: 255/300

POSITION RANK: TE11

PRO COMPARISON: Ben Koyack 

       

Written by B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice

HEIGHT: 6'0 1/2"

WEIGHT: 278 lbs

        

POSITIVES

—Has some bend to his game for his size.

—Works hard and is clearly a high-effort player.

—Played some defensive end in West Virginia’s 3-3 on top of being a nose tackle.

—Is fairly quick, especially for a potential defensive tackle prospect.

        

NEGATIVES

—Light for a nose tackle prospect.

—The defense he played in does not translate to the NFL level.

—His upper body lacks some of the pop that others in the class have.

—Pad level is bad for a defensive tackle playing as light as he is.

             

2020 STATISTICS

25 TKL, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 SK, 1 INT

       

NOTES

—Two-time All-Big 12 defensive tackle.

—Father and brother also played/play for West Virginia.

        

OVERALL

Darius Stills comes from a football family and has a productive college career backing him, but he is too small to play nose tackle, his college position, at the next level. He is something of a finesse defensive tackle who did not play in an NFL-style defense, which hurts his evaluation before his frame even comes into question.

He has some athletic traits that are uncoachable, but the question becomes: Can he grow enough to play 3-technique at a rotational level in the NFL? At sub-280 pounds, Stills will probably not be "NFL ready" in Week 1 of the season, starting the year as a healthy scratch or on a practice squad. He should be viewed as a developmental prospect with some upside, but one who has to earn a roster spot with his play in the preseason and in camp.

       

GRADE: 6.3/10 (Round 7)

OVERALL RANK: 269/300

POSITION RANK: DL23

PRO COMPARISON: Xavier Cooper

        

Written by B/R NFL Scout Justis Mosqueda

HEIGHT: 6'3 1/4"

WEIGHT: 303 lbs

        

POSITIVES

—Solid lateral quickness to reach and hook shades and 2i-techniques with a bump from the guard.

—Effective on pulls to work inside-out and widen force defenders.

—Crafty use of hands to work them inside the frame of defenders and subtly hold without letting his hands get outside the cylinder of his body.

—Makes the line calls and can quarterback an offensive line.

—Renowned leader, work ethic and football character. 

        

NEGATIVES

—Marginal play strength and anchor.

—Consistently knocked back onto his heels at the point of attack and pried open for penetration; lives on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage on one-on-one angle-drive blocks.

—Lacks the lower-body power or grip strength to generate torque, steer and dig out hulking run defenders.

—Takes wide, loose angles on uncovered climbs to the second level; easily manipulated off his target by stutters and hesitations when he can’t get his hands on backers right away.

          

2020 STATISTICS

—Started all 11 games; 10 at center and one at right guard.

—Team captain for the second consecutive year.

       

NOTES

—47 career game appearances with 47 starts; 46 at center and one at right guard.

—Was a last-minute invite to the Senior Bowl 24 hours before the game. He drove to Mobile from where he was training in Pensacola Beach and played in the game the next day at center and left guard.

—Won the 2020 Burlsworth trophy as "College football's most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on."

       

OVERALL

Morrissey is a four-year starter and former walk-on who is a distinguished leader and two-time team captain. He wins on the first level as a zone run-blocker, using solid quickness to hook shaded nose tackles, and as a capable puller around the edge while making the line calls and directing the game in the pre-snap phase.

Morrissey is undersized with marginal play strength that allows defenders to consistently knock him on his heels and reset the line of scrimmage, forcing him to catch and hang on to blocks rather than take control. This also diminishes his ability to consistently anchor or widen rushers who capture his outside shoulder. Morrissey has an incredible story, extensive experience and obvious intangibles that make him worth inviting to camp, but it is difficult envisioning him improving enough to offer substantial long-term value on the field.

     

GRADE: 5.8/10 (PFA)

OVERALL RANK: 294/300

POSITION RANK: IOL32

PRO COMPARISON: Andy Gallik

        

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

HEIGHT: 5'11 3/4"

WEIGHT: 207

POSITIVES:

—Can really run in the open field. Covers good ground.

—Has very good twitch when triggering.

—Above-average ball skills. Good reaction to quarterback, able to track the ball well in the air.

—Good field vision as a deep safety.

—Can set the tone with tackles. Throws body around.

NEGATIVES:

—Can have choppy backpedal and some hip tightness in man coverage.

—Questionable run instincts close to the line of scrimmage.

—Open-field tackling; how much of it is a want to?

—Struggles to reaccelerate laterally at times.


2020 STATISTICS:

9 Games: 46 tackles, 4 PBU

NOTES:

—Three-year starter for Missouri defense

OVERALL: 

Gillespie is an average-sized safety who flashes very good speed and twitch. He comes with a ton of experience, having played over 30 games for the Tigers. He works best in deep coverage, where he can see the play develop. He has shown the speed to be able to play the sidelines from the hash; which is matched by his 40 time. Throughout his career, he has never recorded an interception and has just average stats on the ball.

The majority of his stats come in the run game, with over 100 career tackles. As he can occasionally deliver the big hit, he does his best tackling when given a clear lane to the ball and doesn't have to do any redirecting. At times, Gillespie has shown to take poor angles in the run game and melt off tackles. Gillespie shows to be a good athlete but may lack some scheme versatility, as he may be best served as a deep Cover 3 safety.

GRADE: 7.2/10 Career Backup/Rotational Player—Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 145/300

POSITION RANK: S8

PRO COMPARISON: Eric Reid

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

HEIGHT: 6'3 1/4"

WEIGHT: 226

POSITIVES

—Flows well and fills run lanes with good angles to the ball.

—Plays with good awareness and vision in space.

—Very good strength. Holds up well in the box and close to the line of scrimmage.

—Plays with good instincts and awareness with plays in front of him.

—Best in coverage when he can have his eyes on the quarterback.

NEGATIVES

—Heavy-footed runner; can cover tight ends but lacks quickness and speed for shiftier players.

—Run-first player with poor eye discipline.

—Though he has quick feet for a bigger player, he struggles reacting and bursting out of breaks.

—Throws body around on tackles, lacks consistent thud for size. Can get carried for extra yards.

—Can struggle with speed in space.

2020 STATISTICS

9 Games: 55 tackles, 4 INT, 4 PBU, 1FF

OVERALL

Deablo is a big bodied strong safety who plays best in the box. He's a tweener safety/linebacker who plays his best game moving forward to the line of scrimmage. Although he has the athletic ability to play deep, he struggles in man coverage. With good awareness of zone drops and the ability to break on short routes, he may be best suited for a role as a box player or as a rover.

For his size, he lacks power and explosiveness in his tackling. Deablo will need to continue to work on his pass coverage at the next level, as well as adjust to the speed. Deablo has the ability to play as a strong safety or could make the position change to linebacker if that doesn't work out.

GRADE: 7.3/10 (Future Role Player/Spot Starter- Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 118/300

POSITION RANK: S5

PRO COMPARISON: Mark Barron

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

HEIGHT: 6'2 1/4"

WEIGHT: 249

              

POSITIVES

—Has great production for the amount of reps he has played over the past three seasons.

—A quick athlete who has some flash plays.

—Has some dip and bend ability but doesn't lean enough when attempting to bend the edge.

               

NEGATIVES

—He plays lighter than his listed weight.

—His get-off is just OK, which could be a problem for a smaller pass-rusher.

—Missed workouts this offseason because of a foot injury.

—Overruns the edge at times.

—At the moment, he's a passing down-only player.

                

2020 STATISTICS

30 TKL, 6.5 TFL, 5 SK, 2 PBU

                

NOTES

—Academic issues forced Koonce to attend a prep school before playing Division I football.

—First-Team All-MAC in his two years as a full-time starter.

—Missed the Senior Bowl because of a foot injury that also cost him his workout at Buffalo's pro day.

                

OVERALL

Malcolm Koonce has underrated athleticism that may warrant him sticking through a full four-year rookie contract with whichever team drafts him. Still, he is an undersized pass-rusher who may not be a positional fit for every franchise. Should he work on the valleys of his game enough in the first few years of his career, the peaks of his play could warrant him consistently making his way on NFL rosters as a rotational player on the edge.

                

GRADE: 6.45/10 (Round 6)

OVERALL RANK: 248/300

POSITION RANK: EDGE31

PRO COMPARISON: Jordan Brailford

                

Written by B/R NFL Scout Justis Mosqueda

The Las Vegas Raiders added a playmaker to the back end of their defense Friday when they selected TCU safety Tre'von Moehrig with the No. 43 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft. 

Here is a look at how Moehrig fits into his new team's depth chart:

DE: Clelin Ferrell, Matt Dickerson

NT: Quinton Jefferson, Johnathan Hankins

DT: Solomon Thomas, Niles Scott, Kendal Vickers

DE: Maxx Cosby, Carl Nassib, Chris Smith, David Irving

SLB: Yannick Ngakoue, Nicholas Morrow, Gerri Green

MLB: Nick Kwiatkoski, Asmar Bilal 

WLB: Cory Littleton, Tanner Muse, James Onwualu

LCB: Trayvon Mullen, Isaiah Johnson, Kemah Siverand

SS: Johnathan Abrams, Jeff Heath, Javin White

FS: Tre'von Moehrig*, Karl Joseph, Dallin Leavitt

RCB: Damon Arnette, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Rashaan Gaulden

NB: Amik Robertson, Nevin Lawson

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

         

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided some context as to why Moehrig slid in the draft:

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

Moehrig broke through as an impressive playmaker during the 2019 season when he was named a first-team All-Big 12 performer by the league's coaches. He tallied 62 tackles, four interceptions, 11 pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

He continued earning national recognition in 2020 as the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation's best defensive back behind 47 tackles, two interceptions and nine pass breakups.

B/R NFL Scouting Department rated him as the 20th best player in the draft on its final big board. It also listed him as the best and most versatile safety.

The versatility immediately stands out because Moehrig is much more than a safety who can deliver big hits. He can cover receivers downfield, which comes as no surprise since he was a cornerback as a high school recruit, all while possessing the ability to play as a center fielder who can make plays on the ball and prevent long completions and runs.

"I thought he was better than both of our safeties when I studied him this summer off of 2019 tape," an NFC scout said, per NFL.com. "(TCU coach) Gary (Patterson) asks a lot of his safeties, so you know the kid is very football smart."

According to Pro Football Focus, the Horned Frogs safety forced an incompletion on 25 percent of targets that went his way since 2018, which is the highest mark in the entire draft class.

PFF also noted Moehrig's 28 plays on the ball since 2019 were five more than any other safety at Power Five schools.

Between his versatility and ball-hawking skills, Moehrig figures to play a key role in Las Vegas' secondary as soon as his rookie season.