From the moment the Raiders used the 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft on offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, the team knew it would be a controversial pick. With a new front office and a new coaching staff, there’s no longer any reason to try to justify what may have been a bust.
Last year, the Raiders moved Leatherwood from tackle to guard. In this year’s unofficial depth chart, Leatherwood is listed as the starting right tackle.
On Saturday night in Miami, Leatherwood’s play may have officially jeopardized his unofficial status.
As explained by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Leatherwood struggled against the Dolphins, especially in pass protection.
Bonsignore notes that Leatherwood has lost first-team reps to Brandon Parker, Thayer Munford, and Jermaine Eluemunor. Parkers and Munford are injured, and Eluemunor started at left tackle, in place of usual No. 1 option Kolton Miller.
Last night won’t change the perception that Leatherwood may not ultimately win the right tackle job or the swing tackle position. Bonsignore raises the possibility that the Raiders may have to look for help on the outside, if Parker and Munford remain injured.
The coaching staff will have plenty of additional evidence to study after Saturday night. Leatherwood ultimately participated in 42 snaps -- the most of any player on the team’s offense against the Dolphins.
In fairness to Leatherwood, it’s not his fault that he was drafted higher than he should have been. The expectations increase, the scrutiny does, too, for first-rounders. And a guy doesn’t have many chances before he’s labeled as someone who can’t get it done.
If he’d gone a round or two later, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. He’d just be a guy struggling to find his footing in pro football, like so many others.
Regardless, every team has 53 roster spots, 22 positions in the starting lineup. It’s a zero-sum game. The guys who get it done get the jobs, no matter whether they arrived via round one or undrafted or anywhere in between. Unfortunately for Leatherwood, he may not end up with one of those assignments with the Raiders in 2022.
Fortunately for Leatherwood, he’s being compensated handsomely for the prior regime’s decision to draft him higher than he should have been.
