The unimpressive start Alex Leatherwood had in Las Vegas came to an abrupt end. The Raiders are forgoing their first-round draft pick in 2021. In addition, the team is dealing cornerback Trayvon Mullen, a former second-round pick, to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional seventh-round pick that, depending on playing time, may move up to a sixth-round pick. Later, the Raiders formally stated and endorsed both choices.
On draft night, Leatherwood’s pick came as a surprise, but the Raiders insisted they didn’t care what the critics said. Las Vegas moved on with the idea that Leatherwood and Kolton Miller would team up to provide the Raiders with bookend tackles for years to come, despite the general consensus that Leatherwood was overdrafted by at least one round.
In the 2021 season, the proof—or lack thereof—started to emerge. Leatherwood had a brief appearance at right tackle to start his rookie season. His offensive game evaluations in three of his first four games, according to Pro Football Focus, were in the 30s. He played a total of 257 snaps in his first month in the NFL.