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Raiders superlatives: Predicting the ’22 season MVP, MIP, ROTY and more

By Alexander Monfreda

HENDERSON, NEVADA - JUNE 07: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders speaks during a news conference after the first day of mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 07, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JUNE 07: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders speaks during a news conference after the first day of mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 07, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 26: Tre’von Moehrig #25 of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on September 26, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 26: Tre’von Moehrig #25 of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on September 26, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Predicting the superlatives for the Raiders 2022 season

Breakout Player of the Year: Tre’Von Moehrig

I could’ve gone with Ya-Sin, and some may argue I should’ve gone him here while putting a more sure-fired star as Defensive Player of the Year for the Raiders. Instead, I’ll go with someone else, who’s also in the secondary: Second-year safety, Tre’von Moehrig.

Moehrig had a very solid rookie year, but there was no versatility to his game. To be clear, this wasn’t much fault of his own.

Under Gus Bradley, the Raiders blitzed less than any team, and by a noticeable margin. Similarly, Moehrig was glued to the center field position, playing as many snaps at free safety as anyone leaguewide. Moehrig found success at this role, helping the Raiders defense allow a bottom-five 20+ yard passing plays, as well as earning the 13th rank for safeties in coverage per PFF.

The second-round pick from TCU played in 99.48% of defensive snaps last season, ranking second across the league.

So, the question is, if Moehrig had such a successful rookie year, how could he break out? The answer is simple – Moehrig will expand what he does on the field under Graham. This bodes well with his skill set, which the TCU safety used to flashed great versatility in college.

Throughout his college tenure, Moehrig lined up at free safety 429 times, as a box safety 493 times, and as a slot corner on 796 snaps – Numbers courtesy of PFF College. In a role this versatile, Moehrig earned the Jim Thorpe award in his final season at TCU, being hailed as the no.1 defensive back in the country through this honor.

Now that he’s given a defensive coordinator like Patrick Graham, who will use him in more than one way, Moehrig can unlock his full potential and transform from a reliable starter into a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

Another thing that should help Moehrig’s growth is Patrick Graham’s love for coverage. This off-season, Graham publicly stated he wanted four or five starting-caliber cornerbacks on the roster, and along with the addition of a second coverage safety in Duron Harmon, Las Vegas did just that, adding Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett to Trayvon Mullen and Nate Hobbs.

The cornerback help means Moehrig can have great positioning more frequently at free safety, roaming his zone more confidently, worrying less about coverage breakdowns. Harmon will also help here, as the second-year safety will no longer have to be the alone deep man on most plays, as he was the year prior.

As good as Moehrig was last season, we should see a leap shortly, due to both his expected role expansion and the newfound talent helping out in the secondary. With all that wrapped up, it’s time for the big one: The Most Valuable Player for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.

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