Las Vegas Raiders: Expect two rookies to start early in 2021
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders: Expect two rookies to start early in 2021
Alex Leatherwood, Right Tackle
Alex Leatherwood was taken by the Raiders with the No. 17 overall pick this past April, coming to the Silver and Black after a solid career at Alabama. A mauler for the Crimson Tide, some felt that Leatherwood was more of a second-round talent and that the Raiders should have gone for Christian Darrisaw from Virginia Tech, or Teven Jenkins from Oklahoma State.
However, Leatherwood has championship DNA, and now that the team has parted ways with former Pro Bowler Trent Brown, it will be his job to step in and be the starting right tackle as a rookie. Jon Gruden threw Kolton Miller into the first as a rookie back in 2018, and while he had a rough go, he has since gone on to be one of the better young left tackles in football.
In Leatherwood, the Raiders are bringing in a player who has his faults, but in the end, he is going to get every chance to prove he belongs at the NFL level. With his size and athletic ability, he should have no problem on the right side, but it will be a baptism by fire this season, as the Raiders take on some of the elite edge rushers in the NFL weekly.
After some research, our Khallad Abdallah felt that the pick was actually a smart one and that Leatherwood is going to be an excellent player at the next level. Remember, nobody really liked the Kolton Miller pick early on, and how has that worked out for the Raiders.