Raiders secondary in midst of an early turnaround

Given how awful the Raiders’ secondary played last year, the bold statement Jon Gruden made on the eve of training camp was conspicuous, to say the least.

“I’m fired up about the secondary,” Gruden said in late July.

Come again?

“It should be a strength of ours,” Gruden added, doubling down on his bullishness.

A strength? Really?

“If it isn’t, we’ve made some real mistakes,” Gruden concluded, holding a mirror up to himself and general manager Mike Mayock.

A surprised group of reporters sat in disbelief. Not anymore.

Whatever Gruden felt, believed or was trying to talk into existence two months ago has come to fruition. Granted, it’s only three games, but the Raiders’ secondary has done a complete turnaround and emerged just as Gruden predicted.

A strength of the team.

Two of the Raiders’ starting cornerbacks — veteran Casey Hayward and rookie slot corner Nate Hobbs — are grading out among the top 10 cornerbacks in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. Hayward is No. 2, Hobbs No. 8.

No other team has two cornerbacks in the top 10.

Meanwhile, fellow starter Trayvon Mullen is ranked 21st out of the 108 eligible cornerbacks.

No other team in the NFL has three cornerbacks ranked within the top 21.

Hayward delivering as a lock-down corner in his first year with the Raiders — he’s surrendered just three receptions in nine targets while also serving as a mentor to the young players around him — has helped turn the cornerback room around.

His addition on a one-year contract, and that of new secondary coach Ron Milus, one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NFL, has changed the dynamic. In Milus, the Raiders’ young players have a leader with a long track record of development and success. In Hayward, they have a living example of the Milus effect.

Hayward worked under Milus the last four seasons when both were with the Los Angeles Chargers.

“He’s a good cover guy. He’s smart. He sees it,” Gruden said of Hayward. “He sees route patterns develop. He’s been a great tackler. He doesn’t give up big plays, and he’s been a great acquisition in the locker room.”

It’s also taken a ton of pressure off Mullen, who has steadily developed as one of the better cornerbacks in the league. The win over the Dolphins was a prime example as Mullen consistently provided quality coverage while facing several targets. More importantly, he shook off a costly pass interference penalty in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to deliver two huge plays in overtime.

“He’s one of those guys I think can be elite, and I think he played elite,” Hayward said of Mullen. “He’s taking that step you should take in Year 3.”

Hobbs, a fifth-round pick out of Illinois, has been a revelation in the slot, flashing nuance and understanding beyond his years.

“He’s playing like a veteran … he’s got that kind of mentality,” said Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. “He’s a fierce competitor. You see him in one-on-one’s, he always wants to go against the best receivers. He brings that to it, so he’s unique that way, and it’s pretty cool to see given how young he is.”

On the back end, rookie safety Tre’von Moehrig is ranked 54th among his position group, but he is coming off his highest-graded performance of the season against the Dolphins. To put that performance in perspective, if that grade holds up, Moehrig would be ranked 10th among his peers.

Lastly, Johnathan Abram is grading out as the 42nd-ranked safety out of the 80 eligible payers. Considering he was consistently graded as one of the two worst safeties in the NFL last year by PFF, that is a significant improvement.

So, as you can see, Gruden was certainly onto something when he boldly predicted the secondary would be an area of strength.

Coupled with a defensive line that has come to life, the Raiders’ defense that has given up the 15th-fewest points in the NFL and the 14th-fewest yards while coming up with the fourth-most pressures and 14th-most sacks.

The synergy between the defensive line and secondary can’t be overlooked. Maxx Crosby is the second-highest graded defensive end in the NFL, Yannick Ngakoue is ninth and Carl Nassib is 12th. No team has two defensive players ranked among the top 12, let alone three.

The pressure that the trio produces, along with that of interior linemen Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson, Darius Philon and Johnathan Hankins, means quarterbacks having to get rid of the ball far quicker than in years past.

“The quarterback doesn’t have all day to stand back there and survey the field,” Gruden said. “The ball is coming out quick. When it does and you key on the quarterback and get jumps on plays, you can make plays.”

The challenge now is keeping it up.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.