The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t make any splashy moves at cornerback this offseason despite being linked to a few big names. The most notable addition they made was trading Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts for Rock Ya-Sin. The former second-round picks figures to be one of the favorites to win a starting spot at cornerback.
The fact that Trayvon Mullen is injured right now will only help his chances. The Raiders need him to be a stud if they hope to put up a fight in the AFC West. If he doesn’t succeed, it won’t be due to a lack of effort. Ya-Sin has been praised for his work ethic since joining the team. Star defensive end Maxx Crosby met Ya-Sin as they worked out together to prepare for the NFL Combine prior to the 2019 NFL Draft. They’ve maintained a relationship ever since. Crosby is thrilled to have Ya-Sin as his teammate and revealed some strong thoughts on the cornerback.
“Ever since I met him, he’s always been one of the hardest-working guys in the gym,” Crosby said, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’ve kept a relationship and obviously when we got him, I called him right away. He’s a great teammate and I’ve been seeing him in the building every day. I’m fired up to have him. He’s quiet, but he’s got a personality. He’s just a great dude.”
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Ya-Sin Opened up About Getting Traded
Players don’t always want to get traded after three years with a team. Ya-Sin was starting to become an important player for the Colts but was shipped off when Ngakoue became available. However, Ya-Sin never had any bad feelings about getting dealt. He revealed his thoughts about getting traded to Las Vegas.
“I was excited immediately just to get here and work with these guys man and play for an organization like this one here,” Ya-Sin told the media after a recent training camp practice. “This is exciting, that was my emotion. I mean I’ve been carrying that emotion since that day and all the way until now, just excited to be here. Excited to work and get better and be with these guys and learn from these guys and just continue to elevate.”
ROCK YA-SIN goes full extension to intercept Aaron Rodgers😳
Ya-Sin Learning the Defense
Ya-Sin is leaving a zone-heavy defense in Indianapolis in favor of a man coverage-heavy defense under defensive Patrick Graham. That should be good news for him as he’s proven to be better in man coverage. He was asked what he’s focusing on in training camp and he’s putting a lot of effort into understanding Graham’s defense.
“First of all, learning the defense, learning different terminologies and continuing to be better with footwork and changing direction, all the small things that DBs are continuously working on throughout your career and continue to elevate and get better sharpening my tools. Just continuing to get better overall as a player.”
Graham is a coach who likes to cater his defense to his players which should make things easier for players like Ya-Sin.
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Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Delivers Strong Statement on Rock Ya-Sin