Oakland Raiders: Top-20 players of the 21st Century

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OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 28: Safety Tyvon Branch #33 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after a sack against the Seattle Seahawks during a preseason game at O.co Coliseum on August 28, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Tyvon Branch (2008-2014)

A fourth round pick out of UConn for the Oakland Raiders back in 2008, Tyvon Branch became an absolute leader in the Raiders secondary. After bursting onto the scene with a dominant sophomore season in 2009, Branch would become a tackling machine for the Raiders, racking up three 100-tackle seasons from his safety position.

Playing with the Raiders for seven seasons, Branch was a full-time start for the team from 2009 through the 2012 season. Unfortunately, injuries really derailed his career right in the middle of his prime, as he missed significant time in 2013 and 2014, his last two seasons with the team. He would go on to play for Kansas City in 2015, before ending his career with Arizona.

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Branch played on some pretty bad Raiders teams, but he always kept his head down and played the game the right way. He may not be the biggest name on this list, but he was extremely important to this Raiders franchise for a very long time, and certainly deserves to be recognized as one of the better players this century.

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