PFF Recap of Oakland Raiders starters in 2016

Here’s a look at how the Oakland Raiders starters finished the 2016 season in the eyes of Pro Football Focus’ experts.

Now that the 2016 Oakland Raiders season is in the books, let’s take a look at how Pro Football Focus graded each starter, on offense and on defense.

Each player has their PFF grade listed directly to their name, followed by where they rank at their position.

Offense

QB, Derek Carr: 87.0 (No. 6)

RB, Latavius Murray: 73.1 (No. 19)

FB, Jamize Olawale: 54.5 (No. 14)

WR, Amari Cooper: 80.9 (No. 20)

WR, Michael Crabtree: 77.2 (No. 35)

WR, Seth Roberts: 48.3 (No. 110)

TE, Mychal Rivera: 62.8 (No. 36)

TE, Clive Walford: 46.8 (No. 60)

LT, Donald Penn: 87.3 (No. 11)

LG, Kelechi Osemele: 87.7 (No. 4)

C, Rodney Hudson: 88.7 (No. 4)

RG, Gabe Jackson: 81.1 (No. 24)

RT, Austin Howard: 56.1 (No. 54)

RT, Menelik Watson: 49.4 (No. 57)

Quarterback 

The Raiders’ offense took flight with star quarterback Derek Carr under center, leaving no one surprised when his injury sent Oakland spiraling back down to earth.

Carr found his stride in his third year in the NFL, as he completed a career-high 63.8 percent of his passes for 3.937 yards, 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 15 games. He prioritized ball security and maintained poise when the game was on the line, notching seven fourth-quarter comebacks in 2016.

However, Carr was stripped from the Raiders’ huddle after breaking his fibula in Week 16, and Oakland’s backup quarterbacks failed to reciprocate even an inkling of Carr’s heroics in final two games of the season.

Running back 

At 6’3”, 230 pounds, Raiders running back Latavius Murray needed to prove his worth in the offense by solidifying himself as a capable bell-cow with upside as a short-yardage back.

He did just that.

Murray often bowled over defenders in short-yardage situations, and his abusive, physical presence in the backfield did just enough to allow the rest of the Raiders’ backfield to run wild. He also proved dominant when kept in to block on passing plays, earning the third-best grade among NFL backs in pass protection at 83.5, per PFF.

Though he did earn an extremely high overall grade from PFF, Murray played his role to perfection, allowing Oakland’s offense to finish sixth in the league in terms of yards per game (120.1).

Wide receivers

Raiders wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree began the season firing on all cylinders, but their drop in production led to a drop down in PFF’s rankings. Though they both faced their fair share of adversities, Cooper and Crabtree must maintain a high level of production for a full season before the Raiders’ passing attack takes the next step.

Inside of “Coop and Crab,” Raiders slot receiver Seth Roberts often earned positive reviews during the season, but he too failed to remain consistent. He was one of many Raiders receivers to struggle with drops and often failed to create separation in man coverage.

Offensive line

The Raiders’ offensive line anchored Oakland’s offense both in pass protection and on the ground, but a wink link at right tackle kept the group from reaching their maximum potential.

“Oakland has used four different players at RT for extended snaps; those players have combined to surrender seven sacks and 15 penalties,” according to PFF’s Sam Monson.

Now let’s take a look at how the defense fared.

Each player has their PFF grade listed directly to their name, followed by where they rank at their position.

Defense

EDGE, Khalil Mack: 93.9 (No. 1)

EDGE, Bruce Irvin: 82.4 (No. 20)

DE, Denico Autry: 41.9 (No. 113)

DE, Jihad Ward: 37.7 (No. 126)

DE, Mario Edwards Jr.: 52.6 (Unranked*)

DT, Dan Williams: 74.4 (No. 43)

DT, Justin Ellis: 47.5 (No. 71)

DT, Darius Latham: 42.9 (No. 102)

DT, Stacy McGee: 80.5 (Unranked*)

LB, Perry Riley Jr.: 84.8 (No. 15)

LB, Malcolm Smith: 49.7 (No. 67)

LB, Cory James: 44.3 (No. 77)

S, Reggie Nelson: 81.3 (No. 30)

S, Karl Joseph: 77.5 (No. 50)

S, Nate Allen: 68.0 (Unranked*)

CB, Sean Smith: 82.5 (No. 22)

CB, David Amerson: 73.3 (No. 60)

CB, T.J. Carrie: 73.4 (No. 58)

CB, D.J. Hayden: 48.6 (No. 99)

*Didn’t play enough snaps to warrant ranking

Edge rushers

Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack and outside linebacker Bruce Irvin formed one of the most dominant edge-rushing duos in the NFL in their first year together in 2016.

Mack and Irvin led the team with 11 and seven sacks, respectively. Additionally, the two earned high grades when defending the run and combined for 11 forced fumbles.

High overall grades will always follow production of that magnitude.

Interior defenders

Without question, the Raiders’ interior defenders in the trenches proved to be an obvious area of weakness on defense.

Rookie defensive end Jihad Ward earned the worst overall grade in the NFL among interior defenders, and his veteran teammates failed to pick up the slack.

Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee proved to be a lone bright spot, but a lingering ankle injury kept him from extending his impact beyond nine games in 2016.

Linebackers

After joining the Silver and Black four weeks into the season, former Washington Redskins linebacker Perry Riley Jr. took the league by storm at inside linebacker.

Riley finished the season with 48 combined tackles and two forced fumbles despite earning just 11 starts with Oakland in 2016.

Veteran Malcolm Smith, however, noticeably struggled against both the run and pass despite having led the team with 103 combined tackles.

Safeties

Raiders veteran safety Reggie Nelson was tasked with replacing Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in 2016, a feat impossible for any defender in the NFL. However, he still held his own, especially late in the season.

Nelson led the team with five interceptions en route to his second consecutive Pro Bowl bid.

Opposite of Nelson, Raiders rookie safety Karl Joseph impressed in the limited snaps he earned before going down with a toe injury, finishing the season with 60 combined tackles and an interception. He also earned a higher coverage grade than Nelson.

Joseph’s replacement Nate Allen had some highlight plays in coverage and against the run in four starts at the end of the season, but his overall grade dropped because of some bad plays because he played so little during the season.

Cornerbacks

Raiders cornerback Sean Smith was at fault for a number of big plays during the season against some of the faster receivers in the NFL, often pushing Raiders fans to Twitter to attach the “bust” label to his name.

SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Eddie Borsilli was just one of many to spell it out.

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However, Smith still earned the team’s highest overall grade among their defensive backs.

Behind Smith, cornerback David Amerson took a step back in his development with the Silver and Black, as he fell out of the limelight because of poor coverage and tackling late in the season.

Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie replaced D.J. Hayden at slot cornerback in Week 12 and never looked back. Carrie earned a higher overall grade than Amerson despite seeing significantly less snaps.

Hayden, on the other hand, met expectations, as he again finished among the worst cornerbacks in the NFL.