Early during the 2022 offseason, the Raiders traded one of the top pass rushers in the league in Yannick Ngakoue for Rock Ya-Sin. That move had mixed results this year as Ya-Sin was a fine No. 2 cornerback, but struggled to stay on the field.
Going into the 2023 offseason, Ya-Sin is expected to have a robust market as there just aren’t many quality cornerbacks available in free agency.
In a recent article by Matt Bowen of ESPN, he ranked the top 50 free agents set to hit the market in March. That list included Rock Ya-Sin, who came in at No. 34. Here is what Bowen had to say about the veteran cornerback:
“I anticipate a stronger-than-expected market for Ya-Sin, despite him having just two interceptions over his four pro seasons. With press-man traits, zone awareness and a competitive playing style, he is a physical corner who can disrupt at the line of scrimmage and tackle. The 2019 second-round pick had seven pass breakups this season, and he allowed just one touchdown catch as the nearest defender in coverage, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.”
The Raiders need as much help at cornerback as possible, so it would make sense that the team would try to retain him. Expect Ya-Sin to get a big pay bump in the next few months as he’s proven to be a solid player whenever he’s on the field.
