Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best first-round picks all-time
By John Buhler
3. player. 28. . Running Back. USC Trojans, 1982. Marcus Allen
Best first-round draft picks in Raiders history: 3. Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen is easily the greatest running back in Raiders history. He won the 1981 Heisman Trophy with the USC Trojans. The Raiders would take him No. 10 overall in the 1982 NFL Draft. Allen would play 11 seasons in Los Angeles for the Raiders as one of the best running backs of the 1980s.
He would make five trips to the Pro Bowl in Raiders uniform and a sixth time when he was playing for the arch rival Kansas City Chiefs. Allen would earn All-Pro honors twice in 1982 as a rookie and in 1985 when he won NFL MVP. He would be a part of the Raiders’ Super Bowl Championship team in 1983 during his second season in the league.
In his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Allen would rush for 12,243 yards and 123 touchdowns on 3,022 carries. An adept receiver out of the backfield, Allen would amass 587 receptions for 5,411 yards and 21 trips into the end zone.
Allen was one of the most versatile backs of his time. He would help usher in a new era of multi-purpose running backs into the NFL. Allen remains the gold standard for what it means to carry the football for the Raiders. One of the very best in NFL history, point-blank.