5 Most disappointing Raiders players of the past 20 years

5 Most disappointing Raiders of the past 20 years

4. DJ Hayden

Next up is cornerback out of the University of Houston, DJ Hayden. Hayden was selected by the Raiders with the 12th overall pick, after they traded back from 3rd overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. At this point, the Raiders hadn’t had the best of luck drafting defensive backs in the first round, so the hope was that Hayden would change that narrative.

Hayden had suffered a life-threatening heart issue during college that was the result of a freak accident in practice. Many wondered if he’d be able to play again, yet when draft day came around, it seemed as if it was going to be a non-issue moving forward. Word was that the Raiders front office loved Hayden so much, they would’ve taken him at No. 3 if they hadn’t found a trade back partner.

Right off the bat in training camp though, Hayden missed time because he needed to clean up scar tissue around his heart from the surgery he had a year prior. Hayden went on to very drastically under-perform during his four years with the Raiders, only starting more then eight games one time, and never collecting more then one interception in a season.

A few players of note that the Raiders would’ve had a chance to take had they not selected Hayden were cornerstone offensive tackle Lane Johnson taken 4th by the Eagles, long time Chicago Bears great Kyle Long selected at 20th, and most notably superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was selected by the Houston Texans at 27 overall.