Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best first-round picks all-time
By John Buhler
player. 28. . Cornerback. Tennessee Volunteers, 1988. Terry McDaniel. 9
Best first-round draft picks in Raiders history: 9. Terry McDaniel
If he played for another NFL franchise, cornerback Terry McDaniel would get even more love. All he did was make five Pro Bowls in his 10 years with the Silver and Black out of Tennessee. Yet, that probably makes him the fourth of fifth-best cornerback in Raiders history. Whatever, McDaniel was sensational for the Raiders in the late 1990s.
The Raiders would use the No. 9 overall pick to take the All-SEC defensive back out Tennessee in 1988. It took some time, but by his fifth year in the league, McDaniel was one of the best cornerbacks in football. He would make five straight Pro Bowls from 1995 to 1999 and four straight All-Pro teams in those first four.
A knee injury in 1997 was the writing on the wall for McDaniel, as he would be released by the Raiders within the year. He would play the 1998 NFL season for the rival Seattle Seahawks, but wasn’t the same player before retiring.
Overall, McDaniel has a claim to Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy. He finished his career with 478 tackles, 35 interceptions, 24 assists, seven fumble recoveries, six pick-sixes and five forced fumbles. McDaniel might just be in the hall of very good, but he’s definitely a top-tier Raider all-time.