Top-5 Raiders not enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
By Brad Weiss
Todd Christensen, Tight End
A second round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1978, Todd Christensen would make his mark in the NFL wearing the Silver and Black, being one of the best tight ends in NFL history. After playing for the New York Giants in 1979, Christensen made the move west, and would finish out his career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
It was not a great start to his career with the Raiders, but in 1982, he began to display the kind of talent that should have landed him in Canton a long time ago. Christensen led the NFL in receiving yards in 1983 and 1986 as a tight end, and between those two years, he went to the Pro Bowl all four seasons.
He also made the Pro Bowl in 1987, which was his final selection.
A four-time All-Pro, Christensen was a member of two Super Bowl winning teams with the Raiders, and he twice went over 90 catches in a season. In a four-year span, from 1983-86, Christensen went over 1,000 yards three times, with the other season total coming in at 987.
He helped revolutionize the tight end position, and while liver disease took his life early at age 57, his legacy within Raider Nation will never die. Someone get this guy a Gold Jacket!