All eyes on this Raiders defensive player to bounce back in 2024

Going into the 2024 NFL season, the expectations are pretty high when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders defense. While it has been quite a while since that statement could be said, the truth is, the front-7 for the Silver and Black is almost elite, and there are some exciting defensive backs on the roster as well.

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is going into his third season in charge of that side of the ball, and the Raiders certainly look a giant leap forward last year. Now, with most of his starting defense back, as well as the arrival of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, the Raiders defense is one of the more balanced in the NFL.

Still, there are some question marks on that side of the ball, but none bigger than in the secondary. Las Vegas was supposed to add an elite cornerback to go along with Jack Jones this offseason, but they waited until Day 3 of the NFL Draft to select two, and did not add any big names in free agency.

Over at Pro Football Focus, they laid out one player for each NFL team that they expect to have a bounceback season, and the choice for the Raiders was one of their defensive backs.

Raiders Nate Hobbs named a bounceback candidate in 2024

The choice by the media out when it came to the Silver and Black was Nate Hobbs, a multi-year starter for the Silver and Black as the team's slot cornerback. He burst onto the scene as a rookie, but took a step back in 2022, before playing at a very high level down the stretch for the Raiders this past season.

In all fairness, it is not like Hobbs had a bad season in 2023, and many expect him to be the team's starting slot cornerback once again this season. Hobbs is an exciting young cornerback who has played very well at the NFL level since being drafted back in 2021, and the expectation is he could be in for his best season as a pro.