The Oakland Raiders selected Charles Woodson out of Michigan 20 years ago today, and became a legend wearing the Silver and Black.
During the 1998 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson. The only player in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy playing primarily on defense, Woodson would make an immediate impact at the NFL level.
The first draft pick of current Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, Woodson would go on to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1998. An All-Pro selection from 1999-2001, Woodson and his No. 24 would go on to become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
Injuries limited him during his last years in Oakland, and he left for Green Bay via free agency in 2005. However, he made his triumphant return to the team in 2013, leading them to some incredible wins while back in the Silver and Black.
There are so many memories to think about when you look back on Woodson’s career in Oakland. Sure, he won his only Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, but he did pick off Brad Johnson on the first drive of Super Bowl XXXVII as a member of the Raiders.
A stunningly good player, Woodson became the only player in NFL history with 50 interceptions and 20 sacks back in 2014, and when he finally did hang them up, he left the game as one of the best to ever do it at his position.
As we inch closer to the 2018 NFL Draft, it is nice to look back at Woodson’s career, and hope Gruden can strike gold again with his first pick back as the head coach in Oakland.
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Woodson will no doubt one day be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and if the Raiders did it, he would have his No. 24 retired. No matter who wears that number in the future, it belongs to Woodson, so will go down as one of the greatest Raiders of all-time.