How the JaMarcus Russell pick still plagues the Raiders nearly 20 years later

The Raiders refuse to draft quarterbacks

It sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth: the Raiders have simply avoided drafting quarterbacks since 2007 like the plague.

If you take the team's last 17 drafts (2008-2024), the franchise has only selected four quarterbacks in total, none of which have been in the first round. In fact, only one of those four was even a day two pick:

The franchise has had 134 total draft selections in this same span, which means they are drafting quarterbacks with only 2.9% of their picks. They've had 17 first-round picks since 2008, including seven in the top eight and four in the top five, but none of them were used on a quarterback.

Obviously, there are fewer quarterbacks on a roster than there are nearly every other position, but even if a team only has two on their active roster, that comprises 3.8% of the team. This means the Raiders have severely under-drafted at quarterback compared to the rest of their roster.

But how does that compare to the rest of the league? Not favorably.

In the same span, 198 quarterbacks have had their names called on draft night from a pool of 4,344 drafted players. This boils down to 4.6% of all draft picks being quarterbacks, a percentage which is far higher than the Raiders'.

To make matters worse, 27.3% of all quarterbacks drafted since 2008 have been selected in the first round, and 45.5% have been chosen in the first three rounds.

The Raiders have chosen 0% of their quarterbacks in the first round in that stretch, and only 25% of their four quarterbacks have been selected in the first three rounds since 2008 (Derek Carr in Round 2, 2014).

For a franchise that has struggled so mightily since the JaMarcus Russell selection, one would think that they would eventually change their ways and invest heavily in a young quarterback.

But this has not been the case for the Raiders.

They are one of only four teams in the NFL to not select a quarterback in the first round since 2008.

The other 3? The Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints.

The Seahawks chose Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 Draft, and he was their franchise player for quite some time, even winning a Super Bowl.

New Orleans also had a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Drew Brees until 2020, but he was selected all the way back in 2001.

The Cowboys had Tony Romo under center until 2016 when fourth-rounder Dak Prescott took the reins and has not relinquished them since.

These three franchises have had great quarterbacks over the years and two have won Super Bowls, so that excuses them from using a high draft pick on the position.

But there is no excuse for the Raiders' malpractice in failing to acquire a quarterback through the draft.

For six straight drafts, the team did not even select a quarterback at any point in the seven rounds. This was during the height of Derek Carr's time as the franchise quarterback, so it makes sense that the team would try to use those picks to build around him, right? Wrong.

The Patriots selected four quarterbacks in the first three rounds between 2008 and 2019 when they already had Tom Brady on their roster. The Raiders never did this with Carr.

Twice the Packers have drafted a first-round "quarterback for the future" when they already had their franchise player under center. The Raiders never have.

This is what winning organizations do. They prioritize a quarterback in the draft and have a contingency plan because it is the most important position on the field.

The Raiders do not do this, which is why they are not a winning franchise.

Without a game-changing quarterback for so long, it is truly a wonder how the team has stayed afloat. If not acquiring a quarterback in the draft to save their franchise, then what have the Raiders been doing for 17 years?