Las Vegas Raiders

HEIGHT: 6' ⅝"

WEIGHT: 202

  

POSITIVES:

—Very good athlete with straight-line speed that builds.

—Plays with good instincts and understanding of routes in front of him.

—Comes downhill and fills running lanes well.

—Excellent open-field tackler. Tracks the ball and closes ground quickly.

—Delivers a blow to ball-carriers.

—Physical and dominant in block destructions vs. smaller blockers.

   

NEGATIVES:

—Shows some stiffness in backpedal and hips.

—Plays with above average ball skills but isn’t a centerfield ball hawk.

—Lacks elite speed and foot quickness.

2020 STATISTICS:

47 tackles, 2 INT

NOTES:

2020 Jim Thorpe award

    

OVERALL

Moehrig is pretty close to a prototypical safety for today’s NFL. Although he may be light a few pounds, he brings it in the run game. When tackling, he meets the ball-carrier for minimal to no extra yards gained. He is a Field General, always pointing and communicating with the defense.

Though he lacks elite speed, he performs well in man coverage; primarily against short-to-medium routes. His rare blend of size, physicality, speed and athleticism is hard to find at the safety position. Those traits and his overall body of work at TCU should have Trevon picked as the first safety off the board and possibly somewhere on Day 1.

   

GRADE: 8.3/10 (Immediate NFL Starter—Round 1)

OVERALL RANK: 20/300

POSITION RANK: S1

PRO COMPARISON: Malcolm Jenkins 85%, Jamal Adams 15%

   

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock acknowledged Thursday that he was aware the selection of Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft would raise some eyebrows.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mayock said of the pick: "We knew it would be controversial. We completely understand that."

Mayock went on to explain the rationale of the decision, citing the endorsements from offensive line coach Tom Cable and head coach Jon Gruden:

"Coach Cable has been all over him for months now. Gruden loved this guy. Our scouts loved this guy. And what I like is, when the second floor in our building, which is all the coaches, and the third floor, which is all the scouts, when we're united on a conversation like Leatherwood, that makes me feel really good about the pick."

Leatherwood was widely expected to be a second-round pick entering the draft, and he went ahead of several offensive tackles who were rated higher than him on the boards of many draft experts: Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw, Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins, Michigan's Jalen Mayfield, Notre Dame's Liam Eichenberg and North Dakota State's Dillon Radunz.

The Raiders had a clear need along the offensive line after trading right tackle Trent Brown, center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson this offseason, and the selection of Leatherwood did address it.

Now, the focus will shift toward whether the 6'5", 312-pound Leatherwood can live up to his unexpectedly lofty draft status.

Since Mayock and Gruden took the reins for the Raiders in 2018, they haven't been afraid to go against conventional wisdom during the draft.

It can be argued that their approach hasn't been a successful one thus far, as the Raiders have yet to reach the playoffs during the Mayock-Gruden era.

In the duo's first draft, the Raiders took Clemson pass-rusher Clelin Ferrell fourth overall in 2019, which was much higher than anticipated. In 26 games over two seasons, he has just 6.5 sacks.

Las Vegas also seemed to reach with its first-round picks last year, as 12th overall selection Henry Ruggs III finished with just 26 receptions for 452 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, while cornerback Damon Arnette, who went 19th overall, played in just nine games and didn't have an interception.

The Raiders seem to be stuck in the purgatory of having a record around .500, meaning they haven't been good enough to make the playoffs or bad enough to have high draft picks over the past couple of years.

Mayock and Gruden haven't done enough in the draft to get the Raiders out of that cycle, and if they fail to hit on Leatherwood, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that it could be the move that ultimately costs them their jobs.

The Las Vegas Raiders added some major muscle to their offensive line on Thursday night, selecting Alabama product Alex Leatherwood No. 17 overall. 

The 6'5", 312-pound tackle started all 13 games for the Crimson Tide as a senior in 2020, earning All-SEC first team honors as well as being named an unanimous first-team All-America selection.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department compared the Florida native to veteran Michael Oher, grading him a 7.9 out of 10 (potential NFL Starter), though he was projected as No. 7 OT available in the draft. Instead he becomes the fourth offensive lineman selected after Oregon's Penei Sewell went to the Detroit Lions at No. 7, Northwestern's Rashawn Slater joined the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 13 and the New York Jets took Alijah Vera-Tucker out of USC at No. 14

Here's how Leatherwood fits in with the Raiders.

  

Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart 

QB: Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Nathan Peterman

RB: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Jalen Richard, Theo Riddick

FB: Alec Ingold

TE: Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Derek Carrier, Nick O'Leary, Nick Bowers

LWR: Henry Ruggs III, Zay Jones, Marcell Ateman, Trey Quinn

RWR: Bryan Edwards, Willie Snead IV, Keelan Doss

SWR: Hunter Renfrow, John Brown

LT: Kolton Miller, Alex Leatherwood, Jaryd Jones-Smith

LG: Richie Incognito, John Simpson, Alex Leatherwood

C: Nick Martin, Andre James, Erik Magnuson

RG: Denzelle Good, Lester Cotton

RT: Brandon Parker, Kamaal Seymour

         

The B/R NFL Scouting Department loved Leatherwood's heavy hands and explosiveness off the line, calling him a "powerful run-blocker" with good athletic ability. 

Where Leatherwood will have to improve is his vulnerability to cross-chops on the pass rush as well as coverage on angles and double-teams. 

With Kolton Miller and Richie Incognito ahead of him on the depth chart, there's plenty of time for Leatherwood to refine his skills without being immediately thrown into high-pressure situations. 

After posting the eighth-best offense in the NFL last season (383.3 yards per game), head coach Jon Gruden went to work making sure the unit stays among the best in the sport, landing on Leatherwood and bringing him home to Las Vegas. 

HEIGHT: 6'4 ¾"

WEIGHT: 312

   

POSITIVES

—Very good play strength, initial explosiveness and heavy hands

—Quickly cycles through dual reads, line games and stunts

—Solid anchor against the bull rush; does a nice job sinking in his hips, cutting grass with the insteps of his feet and halting momentum

—Effective snatch/trap technique to counter rushers who set up their moves using a long arm

—Powerful run-blocker on down and angle-drive blocks with good athletic ability to pull and lead around the edge

—Excellent technique as a backside run-blocker to stay square, get his second step in the ground, cover up and cut off 4- and 3-techniques

—Consistent finisher with a physical, rugged playing style

  

NEGATIVES

—Heavy reliance on his outside hand in pass protection leaves little margin for error, creating a soft corner and leaving him vulnerable to pass-rushers who have a refined cross-chop technique

—Angles and aiming points off combo blocks and double-teams to the second level tend to be either too narrow or wide, resulting in him getting grabby on his fit

—Gap exchanges and post-snap DL movement can catch him off guard and gain penetration

  

2020 STATISTICS

13 starts. Finished with a 91.5 average overall blocking grade by the Alabama coaching staff and 99.7 on assignments (tied for the team lead). Played 832 snaps during the 2020 season and has allowed only two sacks. Missed only three assignments and committed just five penalties. Surrendered just three quarterback hurries and four pressures.

   

NOTES

—2020 Joe Moore Award winner, given to the nation's best offensive line unit

—Finished career with 48 appearances and 41 consecutive starts (26 at LT, 15 at RG)

—2020 first-team All-SEC by the AP and coaches

—2020 first-team All-American by AP, ESPN, FWAA, USA Today, Sporting News and CBS Sports

—2020 Outland Trophy winner

—Training for the draft with Duke Manyweather at Michael Johnson Performance in Mckinney, Texas

   

OVERALL

Leatherwood has a muscular, athletic build with good thickness throughout his frame and a rugged, physical playing style. He has very good athletic ability, consistently anchors against the bull rush and creates easy movement in the running game. He can also pull, lead and track down smaller targets around the edge effectively.

He needs to add variance to his hand techniques as a pass protector to avoid becoming too reliant on using his outside hand to initiate contact, which makes him vulnerable to the cross chop as well as inside-out stutters. In the run game, he needs to clean up his aiming points and angles working off combo blocks to better locate and fit on second-level defenders.

Leatherwood has the play strength, athletic ability and competitive toughness to develop into a high-end starter but has concerning technique issues in pass protection that need to be addressed first.

  

GRADE: 7.9/10 (Round 2)

OVERALL RANK: 35/300

POSITION RANK: OT7

PRO COMPARISON: Michael Oher

   

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

The Las Vegas Raiders performed "extensive work" on North Dakota State star Trey Lance ahead of the 2021 NFL draft, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano.

However, the report laid out how the Raiders "have made getting younger on the offensive line a priority this offseason" and could be looking in that direction in the first round, where they pick 17th.

Derek Carr threw for 4,103 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2020. While he hasn't reached the Pro Bowl in any of the last three years, he hasn't played so poorly that the Raiders have to replace him.

Carr is also signed for two more years, after which it would be easier to make a change if the franchise is having misgivings about the  would-be 32-year-old as the long-term solution.

Add in the fact that getting Lance would almost certainly require Las Vegas to trade up, and the 6'4" signal-caller doesn't make sense for the team.

As Fowler and Graziano alluded to, the Raiders have turned over their offensive line, with Rodney Hudson, Trent Brown and Gabe Jackson all getting traded. And that was after Pro Football Focus ranked the unit 24th in 2020.

Upgrading along the line is a necessity, and the first round of the draft would allow Las Vegas to potentially get its starting right tackle for the foreseeable future.

Oregon's Penei Sewell probably won't be around at No. 17, but Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins, Northwestern's Rashawn Slater, Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw, Notre Dame's Liam Eichenberg and Florida's Stone Forsythe were all graded as immediate starters in the final big board for the B/R NFL Scouting Department.

Former Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders safety Mike Davis has died at the age of 65.

"The Raiders Family is deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Davis," the Raiders said in a statement Sunday.

The Raiders Family is deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Davis.

Statement » https://t.co/yF0PjV6oaR pic.twitter.com/i7bRQC8u8t

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 25, 2021

The Raiders selected Davis with a second-round pick out of Colorado in the 1977 NFL draft, and he played his entire career with them except for his last season when he suited up for the San Diego Chargers in 1987.

Davis was perhaps best known for the "Red Right 88" interception that clinched the 1980 AFC Divisional playoff game for the Raiders against the Cleveland Browns before they won one of his two Super Bowls.

The Associated Press (via Seattle Times) described the play, noting the Raiders were nursing a 14-12 lead in the game's final minute with Cleveland driving inside the red zone.

Coach Sam Rutigliano called "Red Slot Right, Halfback Stay, 88" and told quarterback Brian Sipe to throw the ball away if necessary. Instead, he threw to the end zone, where Davis intercepted the pass and clinched the win.

In all, Davis appeared in 115 games and tallied 11 interceptions as a two-time Super Bowl champion.

"Mike was a beloved teammate, friend and cherished part of our family," the Raiders said. "The thoughts and prayers of the Raider Nation are with Mike's family: Mary, Mike Jr. and Allen. Mike will forever be in our hearts and minds."

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is constantly tinkering with his roster, so it's no surprise he's reportedly done a lot of homework on the top quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL draft class. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Raiders have done "extensive work on all of the top" draft quarterbacks and could take one if one of them falls out of the top 10 picks. 

Leading up to the draft, most analysts are projecting the top three picks to be quarterbacks. Other teams picking in the top 10 that could address the position include the Detroit Lions (No. 7), Carolina Panthers (No. 8) and Denver Broncos (No. 9). 

Even though Derek Carr is coming off a solid 2020 for the Raiders, Gruden was non-committal about having the 30-year-old back next season. 

"He played good," Gruden told reporters in January when asked if Carr would be the starter in 2021. "I'm not going to get into all the next-year scenarios. I'm just going to say that 7-9 is a step forward. We took a step forward. Statistically, I think we took a step forward. We've got to get a lot of guys healthy and we've got a lot of things to look at and evaluate before we start making any assumptions."

There were rumors early in the offseason that the Raiders were considering trading Carr. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter in February that it "would take a pretty big haul" for Las Vegas to move the three-time Pro Bowler. 

Rapoport didn't specify if the Raiders would trade up for a quarterback if one of the top players falls out of the top 10. Las Vegas currently has the 17th overall pick in the first round. 

Carr is under contract through the 2022 season, but his deal only includes $2.5 million in dead money this year and none next year. He threw for a career-high 4,103 yards with a 67.3 completion percentage and 27 touchdowns in 2020. 

Despite widespread criticism of a tweet by the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, said Wednesday the family was appreciative of the support:

Statement from Philonise Floyd on #Raiders tweet yesterday pic.twitter.com/gbVtbrgVe4

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) April 21, 2021

"Let's take this breath together in honor of my big brother who couldn't," Philonise said. "Let's do it for George."

Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. On Tuesday, a jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The Raiders responded to the verdict with the questionable tweet:

pic.twitter.com/eeWbMYHK3U

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 20, 2021

It came after Philonise Floyd responded to the announcement of the verdict: "Today, we are able to breathe again." Raiders owner Mark Davis said the tweet was intended to mirror Philonise Floyd's words, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.

Even with the acknowledgment from Floyd's family, the Raiders' post was considered to be in poor taste as a reference to the "I Can't Breathe" rallying cry in protests against racial injustice. They were the words Eric Garner used before being killed by a police officer in New York City in 2014.

Reed noted that following Garner's killing, supporters of police officers in New York wore shirts that read "I Can Breathe," but Davis said he wasn't aware of that.

Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, even while Floyd pleaded that he couldn't breathe. Five medical experts testified at trial that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen caused by Chauvin's actions.

NBA star LeBron James was among those who questioned the Raiders' tweet:

This is real???? Nah man this ain’t it at all. The F^%K!!!! 🤦🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/f44D7OQWfo

— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021

Davis told Reed the tweet will not be deleted.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis took responsibility for an insensitive graphic the team account tweeted after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday but said the organization will not delete the tweet.

Davis told The Athletic's Tashan Reed that he was attempting to paraphrase the response of Floyd's brother, Philonise, following the verdict.

#Raiders owner Mark Davis said the "I Can Breathe" wording came from George Floyd's brother Philonise, who said "Today, we are able to breathe again."

Davis added: "If I offended the family, then I'm deeply, deeply disappointed."

He also said the post won't be deleted.

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) April 21, 2021

"That's my tweet," Davis told Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "That was me. I don't want anyone in the organization taking heat. I take full responsibility for that."

After Chauvin was convicted on counts of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Floyd's brother said his family was "able to breathe again."

The Raiders took that quote and turned it into a graphic reading "I Can Breathe"—apparently unaware the phrase has been used in a derogatory fashion to mock victims of police brutality. In 2014, after the killing of Eric Garner by New York City police, NYPD supporters around the city were seen wearing "I Can Breathe" T-shirts.

Both Garner and Floyd uttered "I can't breathe" among their final words.

Davis said he had no idea the phrase carried a negative connotation.

More from Davis: "Let me say this right off the bat: I was not aware of that. Absolutely not. I had no idea of that. That's a situation that I was not aware of. I can see where there could be some negativity towards what I said based on that."

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) April 21, 2021

"Let me say this right off the bat: I was not aware of that," Davis said. "Absolutely not. I had no idea of that. That's a situation that I was not aware of. I can see where there could be some negativity towards what I said based on that."

When asked why he still would not delete the tweet after learning why the phrase was problematic, Davis said he's not into "erasing something," adding he's not embarrassed by what he said.