Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs couldn’t have a better advocate in Antonio Pierce.
The two Las Vegas Raiders cornerbacks have the belief of their head coach and as the Silver & Black embark on a 2024 campaign — Pierce’s first as full-time head honcho — authentic support can go a long way. The Raiders head coach speaks highly of his young duo — Jones is 26 years old, Hobbs 24 — and projects a strong believe in having a core tandem in the secondary with the two cornerbacks.
Jones and Hobbs gives the Raiders solid starting options at one of the outside corner spots and nickel/slot, respectively. Noting he believes the ceiling is “high” for both Jones and Hobbs, Pierce delved into what impresses him about the corners this past Monday.
“Again, I’ve known Jack since he was 13 man and he just keeps rising and there’s still more there,” Pierce began. “Gaining some more weight, getting the little sucker in the weight room, get him bigger, but what he brought to this team when he got here was a swag, the confidence, that go-getter mentality to go make plays, anticipating, film study. You mix that with Nate Hobbs who is a physical freak, man you’ve got a pretty good duo there, and all they do is battle.”
Hobbs, who arrived to the Raiders as a fifth-round pick (167th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft, finished fourth on the team in total tackles with 86 this past season while manning the nickel role. he dabbled at both outside and inside roles in 2022, but found a home in the slot once more in 2023. He played in only 13 games (11 starts) but finished second on the team in pass deflections (seven) with one interception, one sack, and a forced fumble.
Jones, who came to the NFL as a fourth-round pick (121st overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2022 draft, joined the Silver & Black after being claimed off waivers on November 14, a day after Pats cut him. He played seven games with the Raiders (three starts) and had 25 total tackles, four pass deflections, two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns that led the team). Despite being of thinner frame than Hobbs (well-built 6-foot, 195-pounder), the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Jones was equally physical tackler in run support.
The flier signing Pierce wanted so badly appears to be working out for Jones, the coach, and the team. It was easy to dismiss the waiver claim considering New England felt it was time to move on after Jones’ run-in with law enforcement — an arrest in June of 2023 for possession of a concealed weapon, possession of ammunition without an ID card, unlawful possession of firearm, amongst others — even though chargers were eventually dropped. Pierce believed Jones could produce good things in Las Vegas and leaned heavily on his players — the leaders in the locker room like Maxx Crosby and Marcus Epps — to help Jones stay on course.
“That’s what you don’t see enough of in this league,” Pierce said. “That peer pressure is bigger than anything else you can do. I could do it all day as a coach, but when those 11 men on the field do it together, that’s a different animal.”
With Jones and Hobbs in tow, that makes two out of the three starting cornerback positions with quality starters.
Two of three, you ask?
With how offenses have evolved into aerial showcases, NFL defenses find themselves more in a nickel formation as its base formation. The Raiders are no different. At a certain point in mid-November, Las Vegas was in the nickel nearly 80 percent of the team’s defensive snaps as the team deployed a trio of cornerbacks — two outside, one inside — in the alignments leaning heavily towards zone coverage.
Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear Pierce talk about the need for another starting outside cornerback.
Currently, the Raiders have six in the CB room. Veteran Brandon Facyson along with Cornell Armstrong, and youngsters Jakorian Bennett and Sam Webb fill out the group with Jones and Hobbs. Bennett is the youngest at 23 and was a fourth-round round pick (104th overall) in the 2023 draft. He impressed the coaching staff in camp and started four games (playing in 14) before seeing the bench. No other corner on the roster can match Bennett’s speed, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can regain the confidence that earned him the Week 1 start at outside corner.
There’s talent available in free agency and there’s also the upcoming 2024 rendition of the draft in late April. Don’t expect the Raiders cornerback room to remain at six as the draft, in particular, features intriguing prospects like Alabama’s Terrion Arnold (who Pierce was seen talking to at the school’s pro day) and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, just to name two.
“So, when you look at this draft, you do see a bunch of talented DBs, who I think can come in and play right away,” Pierce said.
The Raiders coach is also big on competition as it’ll allow the team to field the best starters while creating depth, too. Pierce did give insight on what he wants to see from his cornerbacks and mentioning Jones and Hobbs again, while doing so.
“Just the competition, again I talked about it with the quarterback position, if it can start there and now filters through every room in our building, especially our DB room, you’ve got to love it,” Pierce said. “Those guys have got to have thick skin. He’s going to get beat, he’s going to miss a tackle, it’s okay next play. And they both (Jones and Hobbs) have that mental toughness to play the position.”