Raiders rookie safety Trevon Moehrig getting up to speed

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, July 31, 2021 | 2 a.m.

If the Raiders want to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock know the fastest route would be fixing the back end of the defense, which has struggled mightily against the pass in recent years. The team thinks it has taken a big step in the direction by selecting former TCU safety Trevon Moehrig in the second round of the 2021 draft.

Now the question is, how quickly will Moehrig be ready to contribute to a revamped (and hopefully improved) defense?

After Friday’s training camp session, the rookie said he is getting adjusted to the pace of play and trying to do whatever he can to fit in.

“I’m excited,” Moehrig said. “I’m getting acclimated, getting used to the speed, getting used to the plays and the coverages. I think everybody’s excited to be out there and put some pads on and go full speed and see what everybody can do.”

At 6-foot-1, 202 pounds, Moehrig projects as a coverage safety in the scheme employed by defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. That’s a slightly different role than the one he played in college, where TCU asked him to roam all over the field (including in the box and around the line of scrimmage) in order to take advantage of his playmaking skills.

Though he’s still picking up the playbook, Moehrig said he is enjoying his role in Bradley’s defense.

“It’s definitely been a good transition,” Moehrig said. “At TCU I played a bunch of different roles — split safety, but also free safety, playing the post. Now that I’m here it’s a lot more, so they’re kind of giving me more free range to show my athleticism and do those kinds of things.”

During Friday’s practice, Moehrig showed some of the speed and movement skills that made him such a coveted prospect. He made a pair of athletic interceptions during one drill, with the caveat that it was a drill designed to throw INTs to the defensive backs. The Raiders need Moehrig to bring that level of play to the back end of the defense when the games begin for real.

As a junior at TCU last year, Moehrig made 47 tackles and recorded two interceptions.

Moehrig should have a path to early playing time in 2021, as Las Vegas’s safety group appears to be shaky. Third-year veteran Johnathan Abram is expected to play close to the line of scrimmage, leaving Dallin Leavitt and Karl Joseph as players ahead of Moehrig on the depth chart when it comes to the “centerfield” position.

The Raiders traded up to draft Moehrig at No. 43 overall because Gruden and Mayock believed he could shore up the team’s safety play in short order.

Moehrig said his fellow secondary mates have been helping him transition to the professional level, naming Abram, Leavitt and Joseph as players who have taken him under their collective wing throughout the offseason.

“I would say handling everything like a business,” Moehrig said when asked how his mentality has changed from college to the pros. “Coming here every day, being here on time — early. Doing little things right every day.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.