Ranking The 2016 Oakland Raiders 53-man Roster: 40 to 31

Ranking the 2016 Oakland Raiders 53-man roster, from the worst to best player that was on the active roster at the end of the season. Part 2.

In the second part of this series, we take a look back at the Oakland Raiders active 53-man roster by season’s end, and rank them from 53 to 1.

Part one included ranks 53 to 41, and can be viewed by clicking here.

Part two is ranks 40 to 31. Let’s jump right into it.

40. Justin Ellis

Like some of the players in part one of this series, Justin Ellis is another player that did not take a step forward in 2016. Ellis recorded 21 total tackles on the season, which has been about his average for his career.

“Jelly” is primarily used as a guy who fills space in the run game, but looking back at the run defense numbers, Ellis did not provide much help in this regard. If he doesn’t progress in 2017, you can expect him to get lost in the rotation.

39. Menelik Watson

After recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, Menelik Watson fully devoted himself to his health in 2016, and was hoping to start and finish the season healthy for the first time in his career. That did not happen.

In Week 1, Watson went down with another injury, and in result, once again lost his starting gig to Austin Howard. After weeks on the bench, Watson would suit up against the Broncos in Week 9, but was very limited in his use.

This was Watson’s last year on his rookie contract, so it’s safe to say he’ll be one of the players the Raiders do not retain, primarily due to his inability to stay on the field.

38. Cory James

Cory James is a player that could become a steal in the draft a few years down the road.

After being selected in the sixth round, James was expected to be not much more than a special teams contributor. But with terrible inside linebacker play plaguing the defense, James was plugged into the starting lineup in the Week 4 game against the Ravens.

In his first career start, James was exceptional, and immediately proved to be a clear upgrade over Ben Heeney. However, as the weeks went on, James’ play declined and he was slowly exposed for his deficiencies. He eventually lost his job to veteran Perry Riley Jr., and was again relegated to special team duties.

James flashed quality play during the season, and after another year or two of developing, perhaps he can blossom into a full-time starter.

37. Taiwan Jones

Taiwan Jones is one of the few players who was retained from the old regime. Other than his occasional appearance on offense, Jones has gained the reputation as one of the best gunners in the NFL.

If it were not for his impressive special teams play, he would probably not be on the roster.

36. Mychal Rivera

Being lost in the tight end shuffle to start the season, Mychal Rivera looked like he was on his way out of Oakland.

But after Lee Smith went down with a season-ending injury, Rivera was immediately placed back into the rotation, and like old times, he stood out with occasional quality play. For the season, Rivera had 18 receptions for 192 yards, and 1 touchdown.

Whether we see Rivera on the roster in 2017 will be a mystery. But, at the very least, Rivera is a serviceable pass-catching tight end who can provide depth on a team that doesn’t have a standout player at the position.

35. Nate Allen

Taking a pay cut and being a special teams player had to be hard for Nate Allen to swallow. But to his credit, he handled it like a consummate professional.

After being a standout on special teams, Allen was able to start a handful of games for the injured Karl Joseph, and played exceptionally well. It would be nice to retain him, but we will have to wait and see what Reggie McKenzie does.

34. Vadal Alexander

After being drafted in the seventh round in 2016, Vadal Alexander was an exciting prospect, considering how far he fell. It was a great value pick.

For the season, Vadal appeared in nine games, starting five of them. One of those starts was against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. Even though the Raiders lost the game, Vadal did an immaculate job in place of All-Pro Kelechi Osemele. He did not allow a single pressure, and played a part for the Raiders rushing for 130 yards.

I would fully expect Vadal Alexander to be a part of the Raiders’ plans moving forward.

33. Darius Latham

Coming out of Indiana, Darius Latham was not a highly regarded prospect. After going undrafted, he was invited to training camp with the Raiders, and he instantly became a candidate as one of the undrafted players that had a chance to make the roster.

After being a disruptor during the preseason, Latham rightfully earned his spot on the roster. Darius clearly had some limitations, but turned into quite the surprise. For the season, Latham had 17 tackles, and 1 pass defensed.

32. Jon Condo

Jon Condo is the second longest tenured player on the roster, as he has been with the team since 2006.

Condo will be 36 before the beginning of the 2017 season, but despite his age, he still performed at a high level in 2016. Though he is a vital piece to the “Kicksquad”, as Marquette King calls it, his replacement should be expected sooner rather than later.

31. Daren Bates

Not a household name by any means, Daren Bates was signed to the teams as a special teams contributor. He proved to be a valuable commodity with stellar special teams play, and certainly should be brought back in 2017.

Along with his usual special teams contributions, Bates also showed that he can be a serviceable backup linebacker. Considering how bad linebacker play was in 2016, Bates could find himself on the field in certain situations this upcoming season.

Next: Grading Oakland's 2016 Free Agent Class

I’m sure the coaching staff would rather have him exclusively on special teams, but having him as a backup would be helpful.

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