Las Vegas Raiders safety Trevon Moehrig chosen as instant-impact rookie
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders struck gold with Trevon Moehrig in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he is expected to make a big impact in Year 1.
The Las Vegas Raiders brought in a pretty solid 2021 NFL Draft class, players who are hopefully going to help this franchise finally get over the hump in terms of making the playoffs. The Silver and Black have improved in terms of the win column the last two years under the combination of Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden, but late-season collapses have made both campaigns feel like failures.
With this haul, there are some current members of the roster who are on notice and may not make the team when the franchise cuts down for Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. In addition, many members of this class are going to start right away, including Trevon Moehrig, a safety from TCU the team traded up to get.
Raiders rookie Moehrig expected to make a big impact
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz recently listed 17 rookies who are going to make an instant impact in Year 1 for the USA Today, and Moehrig was the only member of this Raiders rookie class to be listed. It is no big surprise that he was listed among the rookies, as he is filling a major void in Las Vegas, and the success of the defense could hinge on him being able to step in and dominate at the NFL level.
The defensive backfield in Las Vegas was downright atrocious at times last season, and while the offense finished in the top-10, the defense was one of the worst in football. It remains to be seen whether or not Johnathan Abram is a long-term solution at strong safety, but Karl Joseph was brought in as a security blanket at that spot, and Moehrig is the perfect free safety for Gus Bradley’s defense.
Another draft pick who is going to have to be a monster in Year 1 is Alex Leatherwood, who is going to start at right tackle on Day 1. Kolton Miller struggled as a rookie on the left side back in 2018, but the right side is a bit different, so hopefully, Leatherwood can have a big impact, and Moehrig can live up to the hype, making these early picks a success.