Raiders center Rodney Hudson ‘should be an All-Pro’ every year

ALAMEDA, Calif. — At one point Sunday, the situation on the Raiders’ offensive line appeared dire.

First, right tackle Donald Penn suffered a groin injury early in the third quarter. He briefly played through it, exited for evaluation, re-entered the game and — after defiantly pushing through pain — received the hook from the sideline the way a white towel is tossed from a boxing-ring corner.

Late in the fourth, left guard Kelechi Osemele was in protection as the Raiders mounted a comeback against the Cleveland Browns. A teammate dived to slow a pass rusher and rolled into Osemele’s right leg. Osemele played one more down before missing the remainder of regulation.

These departures temporarily left the club without any backups on the offensive line.

On such days, it helps having Rodney Hudson.

The Raiders center does not qualify as unheralded, given he’s been selected to the Pro Bowl each of the past two seasons. But somehow the extent of his value to the Raiders might manage to be overlooked. Following a game full of offensive standouts, coach Jon Gruden singled out Hudson as the MVP of a 45-42 overtime win.

Much was on Hudson’s plate.

“He was unbelievable (Sunday),” Gruden said. “People have no idea what the center does. (Browns defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams was blitzing from everywhere. Every possible look known to man. Rodney Hudson put our offensive line and our backs into position to at least have a chance to drop back and throw it. Those are hard blitzes to pick up, and I give our captain a lot of credit.”

So do teammates.

They see how Hudson, 29, prepares during the week, his work ethic and temperament that of a consummate professional. Although the roster features 12 players who are 31 or older, his maturity places him among the Raiders’ elder statesmen. He is a resource to others.

Quarterback Derek Carr called him “one of the smartest people I’ve been around.”

“He’s probably the best player I’ve ever played with,” Carr said. “I know that’s hard to say for a center. When the (NFL Network) Top 100 comes out, he won’t be a top-10 guy. But he should be. What he has to deal with on a weekly basis and me changing the call sometimes … he’s awesome. He’s a Pro Bowler. Should be every year. Should be an All-Pro. He’s the man.”

There was a sense of routine Sunday when center-guard Jon Feliciano entered at left guard for Osemele, who was evaluated for an apparent right knee injury. Feliciano is a fourth-year veteran with four career starts. He is trusted. He’s stepped in before.

For Penn’s replacement, rookie Brandon Parker, the opportunity was new.

Parker took more than 50 snaps — the first of his career — against Williams’ defense.

“Rod did a good job of deciphering it for us,” said Parker, who played at North Carolina A&T in the lower subdivision of Division I. “I’ve got to give him credit because everything they threw at us, (Hudson) had down pat. He told us where to go. We picked it up.”

Hudson credited his preparation.

He and offensive line coach Tom Cable work closely each week. This past one, they understood the challenge that Williams’ exotic blitz packages presented.

“It takes a lot of studying and asking questions,” Hudson said. “No matter what I think I see, there might be a little nugget I can get that can help me. Then the other thing is always on game day, the team has something that you haven’t seen. You’ve got to find out what they have that you haven’t seen, get to the sideline and see exactly how you want to do it.”

Hudson is a widely respected Pro Bowler who, in 2015, signed a five-year, $44.5 million contract.

Somehow, he also may be underrated.

More Raiders: Follow all of our Raiders coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.