CB Nate Hobbs is Having the Best Season of His Career
The Las Vegas Raiders have touted their ability to discover and develop talent.
A few seasons ago, the Raiders added multiple players to their roster via the NFL Draft, with the expectation that those players would one day be major contributors to the team.
Several of those players entered their second or third season in the National Football League, two of the most important seasons in most players' development.
As this season has progressed, the Raiders have had to lean more on their defense than expected. That has, in turn, forced many of those younger players to play a more prominent role sooner than expected. Especially on defense.
The Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs has developed into a dependable part of Las Vegas' defense.
© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Cornerback Nate Hobbs was drafted in 2020 and has played in 38 of the Raiders' 43 games since, while developing into a vital part of Las Vegas' success on defense this season.
Interim Coach Antonio Pierce spoke about the growth and development of Nate Hobbs.
"Man, Nate's explosive, the maturity," Pierce said. "I mean, we've moved him around quite a bit here over the last two years -- corner, star, nickel -- and he really makes his money inside.
"He's a very violent football player, he's explosive. He can tackle in space, he can cover, and he's a good blitzer. I think when you look at Nate, I think it's just the game slowing down for him.
"He's playing a position where he has a whole route tree, right? They can do anything they want, and he's going against, most of the time, one of the better receivers in the league because you find a way to get your top guy inside. And he's done an outstanding job for us of playing man, zone and blitzing.
"Again, that's a credit to the coaches foreseeing that and saying: 'OK, what's the best for the player?' I know what we might want. I know what the world wants, but what's best for the player and the team?
"And putting him inside and him really spending extra time in his film study and then working on his craft on the practice field is what I really appreciate, because he really practices the right way."
Hobbs has six tackles for losses, which ranks fourth among cornerbacks in the NFL. Hobbs has a career-high 76 total tackles, with at least two games remaining. He is averaging nearly seven tackles per game, which ranks first in the league among cornerbacks.
The Raiders continue to prove that talent was never the issue in their early season struggles. Owner Mark Davis making a coaching change continues to be one of the best decisions he has made recently.
The Silver and Black continue the season on New Year's Eve versus the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Don't miss it on Sunday, December 31, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.
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