Raiders' Antonio Pierce Talks Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs

Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce had the opportunity to talk about cornerbacks Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs from the 2024 NFL Owners' Meetings.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) celebrates / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders have two young defensive backs with high ceilings: Jack Jones and Nate Hobs.

Jones made an impact as soon as he got to Las Vegas mid-season last year. He ended the 2023-24 regular season with 25 tackles, 20 solo tackles, four passes defended, and two pick-six interceptions in seven games.

Hobbs, who will be going on his fourth season with the Silver and Black, ended the 2023 season with 86 tackles, 59 solo tackles, six tackles for loss, seven passes defended, and one interception in 13 games.

Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce had the opportunity to talk about both of these defensive backs at the NFL Owners' Meetings on Monday and why they each have high ceilings.

"Again, I've known Jack since he was 13, and he just keeps rising, and there's still more there," Pierce said. "Gaining some weight, first and foremost, get this little sucker in the weight room, get him bigger. But what he brought to our team when he got here was the swag, the confidence, that go-getter mentality, to go make plays, anticipating, film study.

"You mix that with a Nate Hobbs, who's a physical freak. You have a pretty good duo there, and all they do is battle like just the competition. Again, I talked about it with the quarterback position. If it can start there, it filters through our building, especially the DB room. You have to love it. Those guys have to have thick skin; he's going to get beat, and he's going to miss a tackle. It's okay, next play, and they both have that mental toughness to play the position."

Jones finished his 2023 season with a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 71.6, an 81.7 run-defense grade, a 69.4 pass-rush grade, and a 71.9 coverage grade.

Hobbs earned an overall grade of 69.0 from Pro Football Focus, a 79.8 run-defense grade, a 45.8 pass-rush grade, and a 68.1 coverage grade for the 2023 season.

Pierce's full interview from the 2024 NFL Owners' Meetings can be watched here.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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