Las Vegas Raiders: Could Nate Hobbs really start at the nickel corner spot?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders could have multiple rookie starters on the defensive side of the ball in Week 1, as they look to turn the page from last season.
The Las Vegas Raiders were atrocious on the defensive side of the ball last season, finishing as one of the worst three teams in the NFL. This offseason, the front office has gone out of their way to try and fix that narrative, spending five draft picks on the defense, and bringing in some veteran talent upfront, and in the secondary.
One of those draft picks, Nate Hobbs, looked like a steal early on in rookie camp, and those thoughts have bled over into the summer months. Now, after a few weeks of training camp, he is fully engrained in a battle to be the Raiders starting nickel corner, a position battle that ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez has said is the biggest for the team this summer.
The case for Hobbs is a solid one, as he has all the physical gifts to play in the slot, and it is not like he is trying to beat out some Pro Bowl cornerback. In fact, his two main competition, Amik Robertson and Nevin Lawson are question marks as well, as Robertson barely played as a rookie last season, and Lawson is suspended for the first two games of the season.
If he continues this way, Hobbs could be in line to be the starter, adding to an already young defensive backfield.
Raiders could be very young in the secondary in 2021
If Hobbs does win the nickel spot, he will join a likely tandem on the outside of Trayvon Mullen and Casey Hayward. While Hayward is a long-time veteran, Mullen is entering Year 3, while the safety spot could be manned by another third-year guy and a rookie in Tre’Von Moehrig.
Going into a season with such youth, including two possible rookies in the secondary could be scary for most teams, but new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is a mastermind when it comes to the defensive backfield. He has gotten a ton out of rookies in the past, and Moehrig and Hobbs look the part so far.
Hobbs has proven to be quite a steal early, but with the preseason games starting this weekend, we get a better look at what he brings to the table. These kinds of opportunities do not come around that often, especially for Day 3 draft picks, but Hobbs looks like he is not your ordinary fifth-round selection.
Sure, it is only preseason, but Hobbs will be allowed to lock down a starting role, and he seems more than up for the challenge through the first two weeks of camp.