Las Vegas Raiders: 5 takeaways from 2021 Preseason Game No. 1
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders: 5 takeaways from 2021 Preseason Game No. 1
Alex Leatherwood is a work in progress
When the Las Vegas Raiders selected Alex Leatherwood with their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, even the analysts on set were taken aback. Leatherwood was not viewed by many draft experts as a first-round pick, but since joining the franchise, all the talk has been about how good he has looked.
Jon Gruden even called Leatherwood a ‘veteran,’ which is high praise coming from a head coach who has coached plenty of high-caliber offensive linemen in the past. On Saturday, Leatherwood had his moments and is definitely an NFL right tackle, but it is clear he is still a work in progress.
One thing I took from the game was that it is going to be interesting to see how Leatherwood does against better competition, as even some backup defensive linemen were able to get some push on him. Nobody is competing with him for the starting job, as Jaryd Jones-Smith looked pretty bad Saturday, so Leatherwood will have to take his lumps as a rookie, just as Kolton Miller did.