Former Raiders First Rounder Called “Worst Draft Pick”

The Las Vegas Raiders have whiffed on a lot of draft picks early in this century, a big reason why they have only made the playoffs twice since 2002.

But of their most recent draft picks, one stands out for being especially poor. 

In a Bleacher Report article titled, “Re-Drafting Every NFL Team’s Worst Draft Pick Over Last 5 Years”, Las Vegas Raiders insider and NFL Draft expert Matt Holder called OT Alex Leatherwood the worst Raiders draft pick since 2020. 

“Leatherwood only lasted one season with the Silver and Black,” Holder wrote. “Granted, part of that had to do with a regime change, but there aren’t many top-20 selections who didn’t even make it to year two with the club that drafted them.” 

Leatherwood did start all 17 games for the Raiders in 2021 but he struggled at tackle and had to move to offensive guard. Then, right before the start of the 2022 season, he was waived by Las Vegas. 

Who Could the Raiders Have Drafted Instead? 

Holder pointed out that the Leatherwood pick stung a little bit extra because offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw was taken by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 23. 

“[Darrisaw] has become a quality tackle in the NFL, earning a four-year, $76 million contract extension with the Vikings last summer,” Holder wrote. “Granted, the former Hokie would be playing on the right side in Las Vegas, but he’d still be a better option than the guy who has taken just 32 offensive snaps since his rookie season, per Pro Football Reference.”

The Raiders also missed out on a future three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champ who ended up with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles took Landon Dickerson 37th overall in the second round and he made Pro Bowls in every year except 2021. 

If the Raiders wanted to go in a different direction, it really feels like they could use Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau to shore up their DL depth right about now, especially after the recent Christian Wilkins news. 

But as Holder pointed out, the thing that stings the most about this pick was just how many great offensive linemen were available besides Leatherwood. 

Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater and Alijah Vera-Tucker were the other offensive linemen taken in the first round of this draft, in addition to Leatherwood and Darrisaw. It feels like every team except the Raiders game away with a good, or even a great, offensive lineman. 

The Raiders got one year of uneven play from Alex Leatherwood. 

Will Leatherwood Ever Return to the NFL? 

Alex Leatherwood hasn’t played in the NFL since a brief cameo with the Chicago Bears in 4 games in 2022. 

He has tried to make it work with several teams. He went through camp with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 but the Chargers cut him ahead of the season. Most recently, he worked out with the Miami Dolphins in January 2025. 

It’s safe to say that he hasn’t hung up the cleats just yet. But opportunities are going to be harder to come by as he gets further from his most recent NFL game in 2022. 

What do you think, Raiders fans? Should NFL teams give Alex Leatherwood another shot? And who should the Raiders have picked instead of him?