Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best draft-day steals of all-time
28. . LG. Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, 1967 (No. 17). Gene Upshaw. 13. player
This may be the lowest Gene Upshaw has been ranked on any all-time list ever. Frankly, Upshaw is one of the best Raiders players, period. He comes in so low on this ranking purely because he was a first-round pick, and rightfully so. But, it does take away from his value as a ‘steal’ a little bit, as the expectations surrounding Upshaw were high from the start.
The No. 17 overall selection of the 1967 AFL/NFL Draft, Upshaw was drafted by the Raiders, the team he would go on to spend his entire career with. Until he retired after the 1981 season, Upshaw maintained his place at left guard on the Raiders offensive line.
In 217 career games with the Silver and Black, Upshaw started in an absurd 207 of them. And by the way, those were consecutive starts. Yet, he is only second all-time for the franchise in that category.
A consummate professional, Upshaw earned all sorts of accolades with the Raiders, including two Super Bowl rings. He is also a six-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro (First or Second-Team). To say he is one of the best to ever don the Silver and Black would be an understatement.
Although he was a first-round selection and he was expected to be a terrific player, Upshaw easily exceeded expectations. His borderline dominance for a decade-plus is nothing short of impeccable. His longevity is unparalleled. A steal still, as he was the one best players in that draft, Upshaw lands at No. 13 on this ranking.