The Las Vegas Raiders solidified their offensive line by selecting Alex Leatherwood from Alabama 17th overall. Here is our quick draft grade.
The Las Vegas Raiders went offense with their first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft by selecting Alex Leatherwood from the University of Alabama. Leatherwood is a versatile offensive lineman who can play either tackle or guard and has plenty of experience at both positions. He started 15 games at right guard in 2018 and was named Second Team All-SEC then moved to LT in 2019 and was First-Team All-SEC.
His best season was 2020 where he started 13 games for the Crimson Tide at LT and won just about all of the awards an offensive lineman can get. Leatherwood was First Team All-SEC once again, was a Unanimous First Team All-American, won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for top blocker in the SEC, and won the Outland Trophy which goes to the best lineman in college football.
Leatherwood has the size to play in the NFL at 6-4, 312lbs and showed good athleticism with a 4.99 40 and a 34.5″ vertical jump. He has the coordination to play RT at the NFL level and the strength and speed to play guard as well.
This is not a sexy pick by any means but games and titles are won in the trenches and the Raiders got a great player out of Alabama with this pick.
Raiders select Alex Leatherwood: Why the pick makes sense
The pick makes sense for the Las Vegas Raiders because the offensive line, especially the RT position was one of the major needs coming into the draft after they traded away center Rodney Hudson, RG Gabe Jackson, and RT Trent Brown. They managed to retain one of their better players in Denzelle Good but Leatherwood fills an immediate need and gives the Raiders the option of playing him at RG and shifting Good to RT or vice versa.
Many believed that the Raiders would go defense with this pick, including yours truly, but the Raiders know they won’t go very far on offense with a weak offensive line. They also still have 3 other picks in rounds 2 and 3 where they can still get major talent on the defensive side of the ball.
The primary knock on this pick is that Leatherwood likely would have been available in the second round, but if he is a great player and wears the Silver and Black for years then that doesn’t matter. Many felt that Kolton Miller was a terrible selection when the Raiders took him in the first round back in 2018, and look how that worked out.
Raiders select Alex Leatherwood: How he helps the team
Alex Leatherwood helps the Las Vegas Raiders right away by filling a major need on the offensive line and giving them a player that projects to be a starter from day one. They made some major moves on the offensive line this offseason and get younger and cheaper with this selection.
Some scouts believe that Leatherwood projects long term as a guard but regardless of where he plays, if he is an immediate contributor and keeps the pressure off of Derek Carr, then it will be a worthwhile selection. He is known for his excellent technique and strength in pass protection but will need to work on his run blocking which is something he can surely develop with help from Tom Cable.
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When drafted, Raiders Twitter went crazy in terms of the team reaching for Leatherwood, as he was considered a second-round prospect by many experts. However, he was an anchor on the best offensive line in college football last season, and anytime you can get a player like that, it is a win.