Arguably the biggest weakness on the entire roster for the Raiders is their cornerback position. Right now, the depth chart is full of players on one-year deals and former Day 3 NFL Draft picks. However, there is one player at the cornerback position that does stand out and his name is Nate Hobbs.
Hobbs didn’t quite play as well during the 2022 season as he did as a rookie, but he was still their best defensive back by a lot. Hobbs has shown the versatility to play both in the slot and outside, excelling at both.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they ranked the top 32 cornerbacks heading into the 2023 season. Hobbs came in at No. 28, which was a bit lower than he was at this time last season. Here is what the site had to say about the third-year cornerback from Illinois:
Hobbs suffered a major drop in play in 2022 and may be a cornerback trapped in the wrong scheme and position as things currently stand, but we saw from his rookie season how good he can be covering the slot in the right system.
That year, he recorded an 80.1 PFF grade and allowed just one touchdown all season. It may be difficult for Hobbs to bounce back, given his current role, but he belongs on the list despite those circumstances.
If the Raiders want to have any chance of being decent on defense this season, they’ll need Hobbs to have a big year. He is their most talented cornerback and needs to play better than he did during the 2022 season. Look for him to have a bounce-back season now that he is in Year 2 of Patrick Graham’s defense.
