Eagles DT Treyvon Hester did his old Raiders team a solid last night

Among the many former Raiders draft picks they let go of this offseason was 2017 7th round pick, Treyvon Hester. This despite a promising rookie season in which he far outplayed fellow rookie third round pick Eddie Vanderdoes even while not being a starter and even with Vanderdoes spending all the 2018 season on IR.

Three days after his release, the Eagles scooped up Hester and he appeared in 12 games last season. His addition paid off big time last night in the NFC Wild Card game when the Eagles needed it most.

After a go-ahead touchdown and failed two-point conversion, the Eagles had taken a 16-15 lead on the Bears with under a minute remaining. The Bears then drove back down the field in four plays, setting up for the game-winning 42-yard field goal. Kicker Cody Parkey had already hit three field goals on the day, so this one should have been a gimme.

Then his attempt flailed, hitting the left upright, then the crossbar and didn’t go through. The crowd booed Parkey as he left he field and he was attacked on twitter with threats of violence and such. A short time later, it was revealed that it wasn’t Parkey’s fault. It was Hester who got up and blocked the attempt.

There were a lot of Raiders fans rooting for the Eagles to win this one. Some for draft position reasons. Others because they were dying to blame Khalil Mack to make themselves feel better about their team trading away the former Defensive Player of The Year. But unless Mack switched into an Eagles uniform real fast and blocked that kick, it’s a real reach (so to speak) to try and use this loss to suggest the 3-time All Pro is not worth being paid his market value.

The first reason for rooting against the Bears is a valid one, however, because the Bears loss keeps the pick the Raiders received from Chicago in the Mack trade from falling further down the board. As it stands, the 12-4 Bears will still offer the lowest pick of the four teams that lost Wild Card weekend, putting the Raiders pick at 24 overall. Had Hester not blocked the kick, the Bears would have been in line for the 28th pick.

You have Treyvon Hester to thank for the better draft selection.