Former Alabama OL Alex Leatherwood’s future with Raiders uncertain, per reports
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Former Alabama OL Alex Leatherwood was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders No. 17 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Recent reports suggest he may not see a Year 2 with the club.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported this week that “all options are on the table” in regards to Leatherwood’s future:
The 17th pick overall in last year’s draft has fallen behind in the running at right tackle, and people with knowledge of the Raiders’ thinking suggest all options are on the table on how to proceed with the former Alabama standout.
Those options include moving Leatherwood from tackle back to guard, where he played the bulk of his rookie season, to trading him or cutting him.
On Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that teams are keeping an eye on Leatherwood’s potential availability. Fowler says Friday’s preseason game between the Raiders and New England Patriots will be important for Leatherwood and the ride of the Las Vegas offensive line.
Raiders game vs. N.E. big for right side of Las Vegas’ O-line. Team feels unsettled there, at multiple spots, and several teams I’ve spoken to are keeping an eye on OL Alex Leatherwood, believing he might be traded or released. But Raiders wanted to evaluate game before decisions
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 26, 2022
It’s highly uncommon for a team to part with a team-20 draft pick in Year 2, but Bonsignore points out that the new Raiders front office has no ties to drafting Leatherwood and plans to go with the top camp performers, regardless of financial commitment.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
