Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best draft-day steals of all-time

Another member of the 1977 NFL Draft class, Lester Hayes comes in at fourth on the ranking of best draft-day steals in Raiders history. Selected in the fifth round, No. 126 overall out of Texas A&M, Hayes is one of the best defensive backs to play for the Silver and Black. For 10 seasons, Hayes manned the cornerback position for the Raiders, both in Oakland and in Los Angeles.

In his 10 seasons, Hayes earned Pro Bowl honors five times, was a First-Team All-Pro once and a Second-Team All-Pro five times. Like Rod Martin, Hayes helped the Raiders win two Super Bowls in 1981 and 1984. In 13 career playoff games, Hayes recorded an absurd eight interceptions. Five of those came in the 1981 AFC Playoffs that culminated in a Super Bowl championship.

In 149 games, Hayes earned 134 starts and recorded 39 interceptions. That mark of 39 is tied with the great Willie Brown for the franchise lead. However, if the tiebreaker is how many the defensive back returned for touchdowns, Hayes leads Brown in that category, 4-2.

Without a doubt, Hayes is one of the best Raiders cornerbacks of all-time. There is some pretty esteemed company in that group. Hayes led the league in interceptions in 1980 with 13, which is one off an NFL record.

His use of ‘stickum’ tarnishes his reputation quite a bit and is likely a reason he is not enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Regardless, Hayes is one of the Raiders’ best draft steals ever.