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

The late 2000s and early 2010s were a rough time for the Raiders, and that is putting it lightly. Not a single season with a winning record and only two with a .500 record in a 13-year period is not anywhere close to good. However, the Raiders did have some sneakily good draft picks during that rough stretch. One of which was Tyvon Branch.

Coming out of UConn, Branch was surely selected for his versatility. Capable of playing both cornerback and safety, the Raiders also saw his potential as a return man. The Raiders saw enough in Branch and chose him with their fourth-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft. This was the same year the team selected Darren McFadden in the first round at No. 4 overall. Not a bad haul, huh?

Branch spent seven seasons in the Raiders’ secondary before moving on to join the Kansas City Chiefs and ultimately the Arizona Cardinals before retiring in 2017. Injury-prone, especially towards the end of his career, Branch still managed to play in 75 games for the Raiders.

In that span, he tallied four interceptions, four fumble recoveries, eight sacks, and 462 tackles. That should explain just how versatile Branch was for the Raiders. He did just about everything and was a staple for the team until his departure in 2015. If a fourth-round selection spending seven quality seasons with a team doesn’t count as value, what does?