Las Vegas Raiders draft tracker: Offensive tackle, safety are team’s first two picks
The 2021 NFL draft is finally here.
The Las Vegas Raiders entered Thursday with a total of eight picks, including No. 17 overall on the first of the three-day event being held in Cleveland.
It is the third year that general manager Mike Mayock and coach Jon Gruden will work together to make selections for the franchise. Well, it is more Gruden deciding on the picks.
The Raiders used that 17th pick to draft Alex Leatherwood, an offensive tackle from Alabama.
The senior started all 13 games for the national champion Crimson Tide and was awarded the Outland Trophy, given to the NCAA’s best interior lineman. Leatherwood was also a unanimous first-team Associated Press All-America selection.
Despite the accolades, he was projected as a second-round pick, according to his draft profile on NFL.com.
“I feel like I bring a great skill set. I have all the intangibles, great length, great speed, great athleticism,” Leatherwood said. “I’m just happy and excited to be a Raider and I’m going to be the best at whatever position I play.”
Mayock said they “did a lot of homework” on Leatherwood and is excited what he brings to the Raiders.
“When you get to Leatherwood, you’re talking about a guy who started 41 games at Alabama. From my perspective, I remember watching him in 2018 when he was the right guard. I just started laughing, this guy is going to be their left tackle next year, and of course he was,” he said.
“He fits our offense. We want to run the football with Josh Jacobs. We’re going to throw it a lot, too. We like running the football. We want to be a power football team. This guy is going to help us do that. He’s going to start at right tackle for us day one and we’re going to see if he can hold on to that job.”
In past first rounds under the Gruden, the Raiders went with:
2018: Tackle Kolton Miller.
2019: Defensive end Clelin Ferrell, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram.
2020: Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and cornerback Damon Arnette.
The Fresno Bee will be updating this story throughout the draft.
Trevon Moehrig first of three Day 2 picks
The Raiders began Day 2 with their first pick set for No. 48 overall and No. 16 of the second round, but the Raiders swung a deal with the San Francisco 49ers and moved up to to No. 43 to select TCU safety Trevon Moehrig.
Moehrig said Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is a big fan of his game.
“Loved the way I play defense,” he said. “Loved my mentality and loved the kind of person I was. He was just excited to talk to me and talk some football. They told me they wanted me up here. Here I am now and I’m excited.”
Las Vegas made two more picks Friday with Buffalo defensive end Malcolm Koonce and Virginia Tech safety Divine Deablo.
Mayock had said Thursday night that he would be making calls to other teams Friday night and Saturday morning in an attempt to find trading partners.
“Got a really good feel for what it is going to cost to go from 48 to anywhere,” he said. “I like the depth that we’re looking at tomorrow, to be honest with you. I like the way our board lays out right now. There were a very few surprises tonight for us. We’re looking forward to tomorrow. Eyes are wide open and I hope we get a few opportunities to move around.”
Day 2 reaction from Mayock
Of anything that surprised Mayock about day two of the draft is Moehrig was still available.
Time to pick up the phone.
It was a phone call with the San Francisco 49ers earlier Friday morning that prepared Mayock to move up to No. 43.
When Jevon Holland and Richie Grant went to the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons, respectively, it was time to get back on the phone with the 49ers.
“I’m kind of looking at my guys in the room saying, ‘Hey, we could have a chance here at TCU. Let’s see what happens,” Mayock said. “Let’s play it out a little bit, let’s get on the phone.’ And I had been on the phones early this morning talking to teams about just such an eventuality if we needed to move up. I knew (San Francisco) were agreeable or amendable to a potential trade up, and so that’s ultimately what happened. We talked to the three or four teams in that range and the closer, I mean I kept saying, ‘He’s got to go. He’s got to go.’ And then I’m like wait a minute, Dallas is at 44, we got to get ahead of them. We started calling more teams and ultimately we were able to cut the deal with San Fran.”
Here are the Raiders’ picks
Here are the Raiders’ picks in the 2021 NFL draft:
THURSDAY
First round, No. 17: Alex Leatherwood, offensive tackle, Alabama
FRIDAY
Second round, No. 43*: Trevon Moehrig, safety, TCU
Third round, No. 79: Malcolm Koonce, defensive end, Buffalo
Third round, No. 80: Divine Deablo, safety, Virginia Tech
SATURDAY
Fourth round, No. 143#: Tyree Gillespie, safety, Missouri
Fifth round, No. 167: Nate Hobbs, cornerback, Illinois
Seventh round, No. 230*: Jimmy Morrissey, center, Pitt
*Raiders traded No. 48 and No. 121 to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for No. 43 and No. 230.
#Raiders acquired No. 143 from the New York Jets in exchange for No. 162 and No. 200.
Raiders undrafted free agent tracker
LB Max Richardson
RB Garrett Groshek
WR Dillon Stoner
DT Darius Stills
RB Trey Ragas
T Devery Hamilton
WR/KR DJ Turner
DB TJ Morrison
TE Matt Bushman
CB/S Shaun Crawford
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
