Las Vegas Raiders at Chargers 2022 Week 1: Studs and Duds

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Sep 11, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) is stopped by Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) after a short gain in the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Las Vegas Raiders at Chargers 2022 Week 1: Studs and Duds

Studs – Nate Hobbs

Despite making moves for a couple of veteran cornerbacks, it’s possible that homegrown Nate Hobbs is the best one on the roster. Hobbs was one of the standouts on the Raiders’ defense in 2021 and continued that trend with a tremendous performance against a very good group of receivers.

It’s not common that cornerbacks fill up the boxscore but Hobbs did just that with 9 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and a forced fumble that went out of bounds. He made one of the plays of the game with a big pass break up on 3rd and 3 late in the fourth quarter to set up a potential game-winning drive for the Raiders.

The offense fell short but it would not have been possible without the second-year corner’s contributions and he continues to show that he may be the best defensive back on the roster. Hobbs was an early favorite of Mike Mayock and he is yet another late-round steal that has far outplayed his draft position. His continued development has been thrilling to watch and we hope that his talent leads to more turnovers for this defense.

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