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

Nnamdi Asomugha is the last of the first-round selections on this list. Out of California, Asomugha comes in at No. 10 on this list because, well frankly, he should not have been taken in the first round.

With the 31st selection in the 2003 NFL Draft, Al Davis pulled another fast one and reached on a player in Asomugha. As it often did, Davis’ gamble paid off in spades.

Asomugha is arguably the best cover corner the Raiders ever had, and that is saying something. For a stretch from 2008 to 2010, Asomugha was the best cornerback in the league. He was the only silver lining on otherwise underwhelming Raiders teams.

For reference, per Pro Football Focus, in 2010 Asomugha gave up a reception once per 31.1 coverage snaps. That is absurd. Forget Revis Island, where is the same kind of talk for Asomugha? To call him a true shutdown corner would be an understatement. For a stretch, he was THE shutdown corner of the NFL.

Asomugha is considered a steal here because he was a ‘reach’ and his value panned out. Davis wanted him and he went out and got him.

Not wanting to chance Asomugha falling to another team, let alone a division rival, Davis made one of the best picks in franchise history. He secured the Silver and Black a tremendous cornerback that recorded 11 interceptions and 61 pass breakups in 122 games.