Getty Oakland Raiders center Rodney Hudson.
The Oakland Raiders‘ rock in the middle of the offensive line continues to get the recognition he deserves. In his four seasons in Oakland, Rodney Hudson has only missed three games and has been the most consistent player on the entire roster. Despite getting snubbed from the AP all-pro team once again, Hudson was named to Pro Football Focus‘ second-team all-pro and was just ranked the second best center in the NFL by USA Today.
Doug Farrar had this to say about Hudson:
Throughout his time with the Chiefs and Raiders, Hudson has put up more than enough tape to establish himself as the premier power center in the league. At 6-2 and 300 pounds, Hudson may be “undersized,” but he certainly doesn’t present himself like that on the field. And he’s an outstanding pass protector as well, allowing just five total pressures and no sacks in 1.042 total snaps last season.
With his freakish upper-body strength, Hudson is expert at getting his hands on any defender, and he can throw guys around who outweigh him by 30 to 40 pounds. And with his quick feet, he can transition seamlessly from defender to defender in zone schemes. In pass protection, he backpedals quickly, keeps his head on a swivel and strikes out against interior defenders with power and accuracy. Hudson is a free agent after the 2019 season, and the Raiders would be wise to start contract negotiations sooner than later.
Hudson is arguably the best pass-blocking center in the entire NFL. He has only allowed starting quarterback Derek Carr to be sacked three times in his four years blocking for him, including not giving up a single sack on Carr in 2018. He’s not as dominant in the run game, but his superiority as a pass protector more than makes up for it. This has led to him getting praise from this head coach Jon Gruden this offseason:
“He’s graduated from pass protection U, run blocking state and now he’s got his Masters in business,” said Gruden about Hudson getting his MBA in the offseason. “That just certifies what kind of guy you’re dealing with.”
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Hudson is entering a contract year in 2019 and if the Raiders were smart, they’d lock him up ASAP. He’ll be turning 30 by the time the season starts and he should have several elite years left in the tank.
“I know [general manager] Mike Mayock has talked to his agent,” said Gruden when asked about Hudson’s contract. “I don’t want to get involved in the specifics of those conversations, but we consider him a big piece of this franchise and we’re gonna do everything we can to keep him here for a long time.”
With several talented young pieces on the offensive line going into 2019, the Raiders could have one of the most elite pass-blocking units in the NFL for several years to come. At the very least, as long as they have Hudson, they know that nobody is getting through the middle to get to Carr.
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