The Las Vegas Raiders have made no shortage of errors in both the NFL Draft and free agency over the years. Whether it has been passing on players that turn out to be stars, recklessly spending their money on the open market or drafting busts, the successes have been few and far between.
Of course, some are more egregious, like the ill-advised $110 million contract for Christian Wilkins last offseason, or utilizing the No. 4 pick in the draft on Clelin Ferrell. While these garner a majority of the attention, and rightfully so, the team's miscues and ineptitude often run way deeper.
Take versatile defensive lineman Shelby Harris, for example. The Raiders selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 draft, and he never amounted to much. Veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins is another example, as Las Vegas signed him to a $6 million contract in 2020 that he never lived up to.
Former Raiders Shelby Harris and Maliek Collins starred for Browns
But both of these players are still contributing on NFL teams. On Sunday, they put on a masterclass for the Cleveland Browns' defense against the Raiders, 10 and 5 years after their departures from Oakland and Las Vegas, respectively.
Harris recorded 0.5 sacks, three total pressures and a run stop in Week 12 against the Silver and Black, and Collins amassed a whopping 2.5 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss, four pressures and three run stops for the Cleveland defense, according to Pro Football Focus.
For those keeping a tally, that's 3.0 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss, seven pressures and four run stops for the former Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas, as a team, had just one sack and 16 total pressures, which only makes their performances sting more.
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In a way, this is ancient history. Harris only ever played eight games for the franchise and didn't finish out his rookie contract. Collins only played 12 games for Las Vegas in his lone season with the organization. But in those 20 games, the two combined for 1.0 sacks. They had 3.0 on Sunday.
It's easy to look back and bat 1.000 in hindsight, but this paints a broader picture of the Raiders' struggles with talent evaluation and patience with young prospects over the years. Even players like Jihad Ward, Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr. are still contributing for teams at a high level in 2025.
Obviously, Myles Garrett was the star of the show for the Cleveland front, and he got a lot of attention from the Raiders. But the Browns also burned Las Vegas with a handful of former Raiders on Sunday, which is just emblematic of things lately for the Silver and Black.