Las Vegas Raiders: 15 greatest offensive linemen in franchise history

Best offensive lineman in Raiders history: 14. Bruce Davis

In the 11th round of the 1979 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Bruce Davis, a tackle out of UCLA. After three seasons of serving as a backup to the legendary Art Shell, Davis replaced Shell at left tackle in the 1982 NFL season.

Pretty big shoes to fill, eh? Davis was no Shell, but he did a solid job of transitioning into the role and making it look like a seamless one.

Davis would start all but one game from 1982 until 1987 when he was traded to the then-Houston Oilers, where he would become their starting left tackle. All in all, Davis played in 121 games for the Raiders during his eight and a half seasons with the team, both in Oakland and Los Angeles. As such, Davis is one of the longest tenured players on this all-time list.

Although never named to a Pro Bowl, Davis was a member of two Super Bowl winning teams during his stay with the Silver and Black. In 1981, Davis was still a reserve player, but in 1983 Davis protected Jim Plunkett’s blind side en-route to a massive Super Bowl win over the Washington Redskins.

Davis excelled in run blocking, able to push out or to the second level to open up massive holes for legends like Marcus Allen and Kenny King to run through. His impact was always felt. After he was traded to Houston and Brian Holloway took over on the left side, it became even more clear how good Davis was for the Raiders.