According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Raiders CB Rock Ya-Sin is playing the cornerback position at an elite level so far this season, ranking fifth in the league in a composite coverage score. Eagles CBs James Bradberry and Darius Slay rank first and second on the list, respectively, before Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II and Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell come in at third and fourth.
Ya-Sin has certainly been a bright spot for an underperforming 1-4 Raiders team, and his numbers back up his extremely high ranking by Next Gen Stats.
“The fourth-year corner has allowed a league-low 31.6 completion percentage in coverage this season (min. 15 targets). When the Raiders are in man coverage, Ya-Sin’s numbers jump off the page even more, as he has allowed only one completion on 11 such targets for an 11-yard gain.”
NFL Next Gen Stats
These stingy numbers are what the Raiders were hoping for when general manager Dave Ziegler traded DE Yannick Ngakoue for the young corner in the offseason. Ya-Sin had shown signs in Indianapolis that he could develop into a top corner at the NFL level, but he struggled with consistency early on as many inexperienced cornerbacks do. It’s still very early on in his tenure with the Raiders, but Ya-Sin has been a home run for Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels so far.
Ya-Sin will be under even more pressure to sustain this level of play here in the middle of the season as slot CB Nate Hobbs was placed on injured reserve this week with a broken hand. With the Raiders at the bottom of standings, the team needs every defensive back to step up in Hobbs’ absence.
More must-reads: