49ers Attempted to Trade for Young Raiders Defensive Star: Report
The Las Vegas Raiders could’ve been sellers at the trade deadline but with general manager Dave Ziegler getting fired, the team decided to stay put. It wasn’t for a lack of interest in the team’s players.
According to Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, the San Francisco 49ers reached out to the Raiders about a trade for cornerback Nate Hobbs.
“[The 49ers] looked into several coverage players [at the trade deadline], including Bears CB Jaylon Johnson and other recognizable names such as Raiders versatile CB Nate Hobbs,” Caplan wrote in a November 27 column. “The Raiders see Hobbs as one of their best defensive players and wouldn’t entertain any trade discussions. Hobbs, who was drafted to play the slot initially in 2021, has shown the ability to play inside and outside over the last two seasons.”
Hobbs is just 24 and has emerged as one of the Raiders’ better cornerbacks. He’s a piece they’d likely want to build the defense around instead of trading him away. He is the team’s highest-graded cornerback on Pro Football Focus with a grade of 69.1, which is 35th in the NFL overall.
The next highest-graded Raiders cornerback is Amik Robertson, who is ranked 90th in the NFL. Barring a big change, Hobbs should be in Las Vegas for a long time.
Nate Hobbs Confident in Defense
The Raiders defense got a boost when Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach. They held three straight opponents to 20 or fewer points, including the No. 1 ranked Miami Dolphins offense.
Nate Hobbs has a lot of belief in the team’s defense.
“I think everybody understands their job and their role on the team,” Hobbs said during his November 24 media availability, via The Athletic. “Everybody’s selfless. … We’ve also got that confidence in each other. Like, real confidence. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I think he’s going to do that.’ It’s, ‘I know if he’s on the field, he’s going to do his job.’”
