With 73 days until the opening game of 2020, we start the count down with the best Raiders player at every jersey number. Today we focus on No. 73.
With the season a few months away, we take a look at the best player to wear the jersey number of the number of days left before the opener on September 13, 2020 against the Carolina Panthers. That game will kick off the new era of Raiders football.
We continue our series with No. 73.
Currently the Raiders have a player wearing No. 73 that has steadily improved over his first two seasons in the NFL, and is expected to breakout in 2020. Maurice Hurst was considered a steal when the Raiders got him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, a heart issue revealed at the Combine took him out of the first round.
Entering Year 3, Hurst is one of the anchors on a very young, and very talented defensive line that includes him, P.J. Hall, Maliek Collins, Clelin Ferrell, and Maxx Crosby to name a few. He has a new coach in Rod Marinelli this season, which should help him as he continues to develop into a Pro Bowl player.
While Hurst could get there, the top No. 73 to ever wear the jersey number belongs to a guy who helped the Raiders to a Super Bowl win.
Charley Hannah (1983-1988)
Charley Hannah started his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who made him a third round pick out of Alabama in the 1977 NFL Draft. After six year career with the Bucs, Hannah made his way to the Silver and Black, where he would serve as the starting left guard for four seasons.
During that time, the Raiders had one of the better run-blocking lines in football, and Hannah was a big part of it. During the team’s Super Bowl XVIII win, he and his fellow line-mates punished the Washington Redskins defensive front, leading to Marcus Allen nearly rushing for 200 yards in his MVP effort.
During the final two years of his career, Hannah was not an everyday starter for the Raiders, as he started only 13 games across two seasons. He never made a Pro Bowl, nor was he All-Pro, but he was a constant along some very good Raiders offensive lines, and to date, is the best Raider to wear the No. 73.