January 15, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Las Vegas Raiders guard Alex Leatherwood (70) reacts after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in a football playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
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The Las Vegas Raiders released Alex Leatherwood’s 2021 first-round pick on Tuesday afternoon, continuing a historically poor draft run.
The first-round picks with the Las Vegas Raiders hit less than the inside hit right on the river.
On Tuesday, new Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler continued to sever his previous regime of Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden. Ziggler released 2021 from the first round with Alex Leatherwood selected, initially playing the right tackle before a failed attempt at the right keeper.
For Leatherwood, it’s one of the shortest of the best picks in recent NFL memory. The former Alabama Crimson Tide All-American only played one season but struggled hard for two spots last year and this season he no longer deserves a spot on the list.
The Raiders released ex-select Alex Leatherwood from the first round
Since Leatherwood does not have six years of NFL service time, he will go through waiver wire, with each team having the opportunity to claim it. If multiple teams make a claim, the 23-year-old will go to the franchise that had the worst record in ’21. However, it is unlikely that anyone would claim Leatherwood, as said team would need to absorb the rookie deal. He’ll almost certainly go through waivers before he’s signed up as an unrestricted free agent.
While the move certainly reflects on Leatherwood’s ability to showcase his talents in Las Vegas, it’s an even bigger indictment of the previous regime.
Under Mayock, the Raiders had six picks in the first round between 2019-21. While Jonathan Abram’s safety, edge snooper Clyne Ferrell and back-to-back Josh Jacobs remain on the list, they are all free agents suspended after their options for a fifth year were rejected. Meanwhile, Leatherwood has been fired, and both first rounds of 2020 in receiver Henry Roggs III and cornerback Damon Arnett are not back with the team after off-court incidents.
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