Ranking the Las Vegas Raiders first round picks since 2010

Ranking the Las Vegas Raiders first-round picks since 2010

12. Rolando McClain: 2010 – 8th overall, Alabama

The Raiders used the 8th overall pick on Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain and they probably felt as good as ever about using it on a player of his caliber. McClain had all of the characteristics you want from a top pick, ranging from physical measurables to accolades stacked to the ceiling.

In three years at Alabama, McClain was named first-team All-SEC twice, won a national championship, and won the Butkus Award, Lambert Award, and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The Raiders thought they were getting a big, physical linebacker who would bring that same level of physicality and toughness to a unit that was among the worst in the league for so long.

After two solid years where there were signs of improvement, things imploded in year three as mental errors and mistakes caught up to McClain on the field and saw his playing time decrease. McClain lashed out on social media after being benched and after some off-field incidents in the offseason, he was released by the Raiders.

McClain would retire in 2013 before returning to play two seasons with the Cowboys but would eventually be suspended by the NFL and his career would essentially be over.  McClain played in 41 games for the Raiders and is among one of the worst draft busts in the team’s history for the combination of on-field performance and off-field issues.