Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton (21) gestures after tackling Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (11) in the third quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Raiders Not Given Respect in Recent Rankings

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders have made many improvements to their roster in the offseason, including both the NFL draft and free agency. They brought in Pete Carroll to build a culture of winning in Las Vegas, as wherever he seems to go, success seems to follow.

He, alongside John Spytek, has done an amazing job at addressing this team's strengths and weaknesses and acting accordingly to give them their best chance at succeeding next season, despite being an underdog.

You can't necessarily blame fans and analysts alike for underestimating the Raiders, as they are coming off a season where they only won four games, but the disrespect towards them and their roster construction needs to stop.

Pro Football Focus recently released an article where they ranked all 32 NFL teams' projected starting lineups, and the Raiders are near the bottom of the league with the 23rd-ranked lineup, according to them.

It's important to note that this is based on their own individual metrics and how they grade players. They don't take into account any potential leaps players may have had from last season to now, but that's also impossible to quantify until the season actually starts.

They're ranked like a team that will finish near the bottom of the league, but I believe they have all the pieces necessary to surpass analysts' expectations of them. Geno Smith has looked good so far in OTA's and if he continues to build a rapport with his offensive weapons, it'll elevate their offense to heights that haven't been seen in Las Vegas for a while.

As well, they aren't taking into account any potential lineup changes as the season goes on. I know Tre Tucker has steadily improved as his young NFL career has progressed, but there's a chance that Dont'e Thornton takes his starting position as he offers more to their offense.

There's just so much that they didn't take into account when ranking the projected lineups that make it so the Raiders are ranked so lowly. A lot of things can change over an NFL season, and I'm sure that by the time the season is done, the Raiders won't be ranked as lowly heading into next season.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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