If it seems like we praise Nate Hobbs every single week at the Raiders Wire, it’s because it’s true. The fifth-round rookie from Illinois continues to improve every week and he just had his best outing of the season in Week 7.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hobbs didn’t allow a single catch in Week 7 against the Eagles as he wasn’t even targeted. Here is what the site had to say about his performance this week:
“It was a goose egg for Hobbs against the Eagles on Sunday. On 40 coverage snaps, he wasn’t targeted a single time in the Raiders win. The fifth-rounder has now allowed only 153 yards on 255 coverage snaps.”
The site currently has Hobbs ranked as the eighth-highest graded rookie this season. He is PFF’s highest-rated defensive backs through seven games as he hasn’t allowed a touchdown yet this season.
Hobbs is a fantastic tackler, which is vital from the slot. While he has yet to record an interception, he just doesn’t allow many big plays. With Casey Hayward playing as well as he is, the Raiders have to be feeling really good about their secondary.
If Tre’von Moehrig can continue to develop and Trayvon Mullen can get healthy, this secondary has a chance to be even better in the second half of the season. That should be a terrifying thought for opposing offenses in the AFC.
