For the first time in a long time, the Las Vegas Raiders have real talent on defense. One of their best players has been cornerback Nate Hobbs. He’s been playing so well that the San Francisco 49ers attempted to trade for him at the deadline, per a November 27 report from Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network.
The 49ers have the No. 1 defense in the NFL in points allowed (15.8 per game) so it’s a testament to how well he’s played that the team would want him. Hobbs is flattered by the interest but happy to still be in Las Vegas.
“It’s always nice knowing other teams want you. … It was nice knowing somebody else wanted me, but I’m here right now so I’m gonna make the most of where I’m at,” Hobbs said during his December 14 locker room availability.
Hobbs is only 24 and should be a building block for the Raiders as they move forward. It’s difficult to imagine a situation where they’d want to move on from him. Hobbs is the highest-graded Raiders cornerback on Pro Football Grade with a grade of 68.5. He’s played his best football in the slot but the team has had to use him on the outside at times this season, which has hurt his grade.
One thing that would allow Nate Hobbs to stay in the slot more where he plays his best football is if the Raiders solidified their outside cornerback spots. Marcus Peters was cut earlier in the season and Jack Jones has replaced a lot of the snaps.
He made a highlight reel play against the Chargers where he took an interception back for a touchdown. Hobbs was really impressed with Jones and the play that he made.
“I don’t think any good defense, anybody who makes it far in the playoffs in this league who’s considered to have a dominant or really good defense, they don’t not have a player like that,” Hobbs said in his December 14 postgame media availability. “Someone who’s just going to act instinctively and go.”
Jones discussed what his thought process was during the play.
“I was up there thinking, ‘Damn, I overran it,’” Jones said after the game. “So I reached back … and that thing just stuck … and I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’”
Jones joined the Raiders late in the season after getting released by the New England Patriots. He’s making the case that he should be back with the team next season.
Mark Davis Impressed With Defense
The Raiders’ defense has consistently been among the worst in the NFL for two decades now. This year, the group is allowing 20.0 points a game, which is ninth-best in the NFL. If that holds up, it would be the first time the Raiders had a top-10 scoring defense since the 2002 season.
Owner Mark Davis doesn’t love what he’s seeing from the struggling offense but he’s been impressed with the defense.
“You go back two years, and our offense is scoring and our defense was scoring even more for the other side (laughs),” Davis told The Athletic’s Tashan Reed in a December 13 interview. “Now, it’s flipped on its head. It’s amazing that that’s what happened at this point. But I mean, to lose a game 3-0 (against the Minnesota Vikings) is quite a feat.”
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