Raiders well-represented in best ever NFL Draft

The NFL Draft has not been too kind to the Las Vegas Raiders in recent history, with the last 20 years or so littered with first-round busts.

However, no team gets to the level of success the Raiders have enjoyed without some luck in the draft. Throughout their history, the Raiders have found several impact players in the draft, creating franchise legends still remembered by fans to this day. As a result, the team has gotten tremendous value in all seven rounds, sometimes multiple times in each.

When ESPN’s Ben Solak took on the arduous task of building a NFL Draft consisting of the best selections at every pick number, the Raiders were represented in all seven rounds.

Which Raiders made the cut on the best-ever draft board?

The first round was somewhat odd, as Solak selected guard Steve Wisniewski at 29. Wisniewski was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, but immediately traded to the Raiders before playing a game. The Cowboys ended up missing out on an eight-time All-Pro and one of the league’s iron men with 215 of 217 games started, so the Raiders certainly came out better for it.

The second round resulted in less controversy, with Solak adding quarterback Ken Stabler from 1968 with the 52nd pick.

“Even without a QB bump, “The Snake” would be the best of this group. He delivered the first Super Bowl victory for a legendary Oakland Raiders franchise and won an MVP award. He also has an iconic play in his belt — the Ghost to the Post — which doesn’t really matter here, but bears mentioning because it’s such a great play name,” Solak commented.

The Raiders got double representation in the third round, with 1968 offensive tackle Art Shell at 80 and 1972 wide receiver Cliff Branch at 1972. The duo combined for three Super Bowl victories and achieved seven All-Pro selections between them (five being first-team). Ironically, Branch beat out quarterback Rich Gannon, who, despite being drafted by the New England Patriots in 1987, enjoyed the best stretch of his career with the Raiders.

The fourth round also saw the Raiders double up, with 2019 defensive end Maxx Crosby at 104 and 1983 defensive end Greg Townsend at 110, giving the Raiders their two premiere sack artists in the same round.

Added controversy comes to the fifth round, where the Raiders got two picks again. 2000 punter Shane Lechler at 142 is one hundred percent a Raiders pick, but 1996 defensive tackle La’Roi Glover at 166 might be tricky to justify. In a reversal of Wisniewski, Glover played only two games with the Raiders before going elsewhere, appearing in six Pro Bowls with the New Orleans Saints and Cowboys.

The sixth round is the final time the Raiders doubled up, with 1993 linebacker Greg Biekert at 181 and 1987 running back Bo Jackson at 183.

“Jackson played only four seasons before his hip injury ended his career, but c’mon. What am I gonna do, not pick the Tecmo Bowl GOAT? Especially when you consider I get to steal Jackson at this pick, after the Buccaneers — who drafted him first overall in the 1986 draft — had to forfeit his rights,” wrote Solak.

Finally, the seventh round featured another player from the legendary 1968 draft class, with safety George Atkinson rounding out the representatives for the Raiders.

It is an impressive list of franchise legends, and Raiders fans are hoping they can get back to those glory days sooner rather than later.