The move to Las Vegas will bring plenty of excitement this season, and these five Raiders should be voted to their first Pro Bowl.
The Las Vegas Raiders have more than a few promising players on this roster yet to make a Pro Bowl appearance. Trent Brown was selected to his first Pro Bowl after the 2019 season, but due to injury, he was not able to attend.
Being named to the Pro Bowl is an honor, as players are voted into the league’s All-Star game by the fans, coaches, and players. Each group’s ballot counts as one-third of the votes, and for some of the guys on this list, they should have been voted in last year as no-brainers.
Still, the fact that the Raiders play four primetime games this season should help, as should the fact that this team is going to challenge for a playoff spot. Overall, this has the potential to be a very solid team in the AFC this season, as the schedule is easier than year’s past, and there is finally some consistency with the roster, and coaches.
For the purpose of this piece, we are listed all those who have not been voted to the Pro Bowl originally. Some on this list were added as alternates this past season, but we are not counting that.
Darren Waller, Tight End
We start with one of the bigger snubs of the 2019 season, as tight end Darren Waller dominated the NFL landscape from Week 1 on. Sure, he was named as an alternative after the voting was finish, but in 2020, he should definitely be one of the tight ends voted in if he continues to trend upwards.
The story of Waller is a feel-good one, as he overcame a lot in his early NFL career to become a franchise tight end for the Raiders. Last season, Waller hauled in 90 catches for the Silver and Black, leading the team in that category, and that number proved to be the seventh-most in team history in a single season.
Waller will have much better weapons around him in 2020, and will have another year in Jon Gruden’s offense under his belt. On a team with playoff expectations, Waller will prove to once again be a constant for Derek Carr, as he challenges Travis Kelce for the title of best tight end in the AFC West.
Josh Jacobs, Running Back
Like Waller, running back Josh Jacobs was another young star for the Raiders that was snubbed in terms of the Pro Bowl last season. Sure, he was also voted in as an alternate, but after a record-breaking rookie season with the Raiders, bigger things are coming.
When it comes to what Raiders player should be making their first Pro Bowl appearance, well this one is sort of a no-brainer. The Raiders have had a long line of great running backs, yet not one has ever rushed for 1,000 yards as a rookie, a feat Jacobs accomplished last season.
The 24th pick in the 2019 NFL Daft rushed for over 1,100 yards, and led the league in broken tackles, all the while doing it with a fractured shoulder for half the season. The sky is the limit for Jacobs, and with his shoulder healed, he will be a factor in the passing game, something that he was not able to do last season.
Maxx Crosby, Edge
Here we have another second-year player making the list, and one who was absolutely dominating as a rookie as well. Madd Maxx Crosby was not a hyped first-round selection like his teammate Jacobs, in fact he did not even come from a power five conference.
Crosby was a fourth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft by way of Eastern Michigan, and he wasn’t even the first defensive end the Raiders selected that year. Nevertheless, none of that seemed to matter, as Crosby played the game with swagger all season long, and was incredibly productive.
Madd Maxx led the Raiders with ten sacks in his rookie season, and what makes this number even more staggering is the fact the Raiders as a whole only totaled 13 sacks in 2018. The sky is the limit for Crosby and a Pro Bowl selection should be well within his reach as he continues to develop into a premier edge rusher in the AFC West.
Kolton Miller, Left Tackle
This selection might have been deemed a bit of a reach prior to the 2019 season, as Kolton Miller struggled in his rookie season, both with his competition and injuries. Fast forward to after the 2019 season, and Miller recovered to become a stalwart on the Raiders offensive line.
In 2018, Miller allowed 16 sacks and was called for eight penalties, as he battled through injuries, but still managed to play in all 16 games at left tackle. This past season, he only allowed seven sacks and was called for only four penalties, taking a major step in the right direction.
For some stretches last season, you could argue Miller was the best offensive lineman on the field for the Raiders. The Raiders coaching staff has even jumped on the Miller hype-train, suggesting he could be primed for a Pro Bowl season this year according to the Athletic’s Vic Tafur. With his improved play, and his health hopefully now in check, Miller should be able to vie for a Pro Bowl selection come December.
Maurice Hurst, Defensive Tackle
Originally slated to be a first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Michigan defensive lineman Maurice Hurst saw his draft stock plummet due to a heart issue that was revealed during the combine. Still, the Raiders decided to roll the dice on him in the fifth round, and they should be very happy that they did.
Hurst has improved consistently during his first two seasons in the league, and he could be in for his first Pro Bowl season in 2020. The Raiders added a talented player alongside him in Maliek Collins this offseason, and based on what we saw from Hurst in Year 2 in 2019, he can make plays in the passing game, against the run, and has quite the nose for the ball.
The fact that we can even create a list of five Raiders who could be voted to their first Pro Bowl is a testament to how good this roster is now. Mike Mayock and Gruden have done a phenomenal job adding good, young talent to the organization, and multiple Pro Bowls, and multiple playoff appearances could be on the horizon.