Las Vegas Raiders: Grading the 7-player 2021 NFL Draft class
Round 5: No. 167 – Nate Hobbs, CB, Illinois
The Raiders continued their trend of building up the defense by using their fifth-round pick on Nate Hobbs out of the University of Illinois. Hobbs was a three-star recruit who only got one power-5 offer with Illinois but quickly established himself as a starter in his freshman year.
He would go on to start 35 games for the Illini in 4 years and in continuing the trend of most of the Raiders picks, was a team captain as well. He measured well at his pro day, coming in at 5-11, 196lbs and ran a 4.46 40 to show off some NFL-level speed as well. He is known as more of an athlete than a technician in coverage and that can lead to some blown coverages and penalties from being out of position.
Hobbs is however a good run defender and is not afraid to throw his body around. His aggressive mentality should make him a solid special teamer and perhaps he can develop into a solid rotational cornerback. He graded out by many teams as a 7th rounder or even undrafted free agent, but he has upside and that is what you’re looking for in the late rounds.
This selection does not keep the Raiders from adding a veteran CB like Richard Sherman or Casey Heyward but it does fill a need as the secondary was decimated by injury and depth is critical. Perhaps Hobbs can be a practice squad stash for his first season but it would not be a surprise if he contributes immediately.