Getty Alex Leatherwood with former Las Vegas Raiders teammates.
The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t do Alex Leatherwood any favors when they took him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The former Alabama offensive lineman was widely expected to be a second or third-round pick but the team decided to reach and take him with the No. 17 pick.
Leatherwood lasted one season in Las Vegas before he was traded to the Chicago Bears. He didn’t last in Chicago and spent some time with the Cleveland Browns last season. He now has another new home as the Los Angeles Chargers announced on May 29 that they’ve signed Leatherwood to a contract.
welcome aboard
we’ve signed T alex leatherwood → t.co/tBHkqVj3LS
Leatherwood didn’t play a single game last season and only played four in 2022 so he hasn’t gotten much experience on the field. Often, offensive linemen need a lot of reps before they start playing their best football.
Leatherwood was an Outland Award-winner in college, which is given to the nation’s top interior offensive lineman. He’s played very poorly at the NFL level but is only 25. Perhaps there is still some potential there. He hasn’t really gotten a shot since his rookie season to see if he can play. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh values offensive line play so Leatherwood will likely be coached hard while he’s in Los Angeles.
Kolton Miller a Top-10 OT
The Raiders have had a lot of inconsistency across the entire offensive line for several seasons outside of left tackle Kotlon Miller. He’s been a rock on the left side for years now and continues to play at a high level.
Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 offensive tackles in the NFL and Miller came in at 10.
“Miller gave up pressure on just 4.0% of dropbacks in 2023, tied for the fifth-best rate among offensive tackles in the NFL,” Buday wrote in a May 28 column. “This is even more impressive, given that Miller was slowed down by an injury over the second half of the season. Over the last four years, Miller’s 87.1 pass-blocking grade ranks third among left tackles during that period.”
Miller is one of the top pass-blocking tackles in the NFL and that should only continue going forward.
Delmar Glaze Talks Rookie Season
The Raiders are set at left tackle for the foreseeable future but continue to have a difficult time solidifying the right side. The team drafted Delmar Glaze in the third round in hopes that he could potentially have upside at right tackle.
However, Glaze can play all over the offensive line so it’ll be a process to see where the Raiders decide to play him. For now, he’s just focusing on his development.
“I mean, just continue to develop,” Glaze said during his May 10 media availability. “The biggest thing for me is just to contribute any way I can. Like I said, if they need me at guard, go to guard. If they need me at left tackle, left guard, wherever, be ready to plug in and try to do all I can to play and just whatever I can help out. That’s one of the biggest goals for me at this moment.”
The Raiders aren’t set at left guard, right guard or right tackle yet so Glaze will have plenty of chances to earn a role this season.