Oakland Raiders: Top-20 players of the 21st Century
By Brad Weiss
Kirk Morrison (2005-2009)
The Raiders third round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft, Kirk Morrison would go on to play five seasons with the team, becoming a constant at linebacker for the Silver and Black. A product of San Diego State, Morrison got off to a quick start to his NFL career, starting all 16 games as a rookie, and collecting over 100 tackles.
In his five seasons with the team, Morrison proved himself to be a tackling machine, racking up over 100 tackles every season. His 116 tackles as a rookie would prove to be the lowest total he would ever get to as a member of the Raiders, as he followed up that campaign with 127, 120, 135, and 133.
Morrison would be traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to the 2010 NFL season, mostly due to the fact the team had drafted Rolando McClain in the first round. He would never be the player he was with the Raiders, and in fact, he would never go for over 100 tackles again in a season. The Raiders netted a draft pick in the trade, grabbing Jacoby Ford, but McClain never panned out, and they lost a solid player in Morrison.